RISE UP

Guide for Young Women’s
Transformative LeadershipWelcome!
Ten national YWCAs in the Asia Pacificregion, along with many local YWCA
Member Associations, have been hard atwork creating a Peer Education Programthat supports young women to rise up
and discover their leadership potential.
This Global Rise Up! Guide for Young
Women’s Transformative Leadership aims
to stay true to the unique characteristicsof Rise Up!, keeping it grounded in local
realities and useful for young women inrural communities, while being relevant
for young women in urban centers, andapplicable to advocacy at the local,
national, regional and global levels.

decisions and rising up to own theirrights and future. Whether you are an
active YWCA member, someone who isinterested in joining the movement, or areinterested in transformative leadershipfor your own organization or personal
journey, Welcome to the World YWCA’s
Global Rise Up! Guide to Young Women’s
Transformative Leadership.

Global Rise Up! is created for young
women1 everywhere so that they can
own their personal transformation andthe impact they have on the lives aroundthem. This Guide shares and strengthens
the good practices of Rise Up! with thewider YWCA movement, in the hopesof contributing to the empowerment ofa vast cohort of young women making

This Guide is dedicated to …
a future where a determined young
woman through her will, creativity, ideas,
energy, and community support will turn
Her Dreams into Her Reality.
Envisioning 2035

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1

YWCA Young Women are 18-30 years old, but Global Rise Up! Guide can be adapted for girls and women of all ages.

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training, mentoring and practical leadershipexperiences for young women.
During the programme, participants learn
leadership skills, and discuss social issues
affecting young women in their communities
and how to deal with those issues. Participantsalso learn basic advocacy skills and then, in
small groups, plan and deliver a communitylevel advocacy project with the support of amentor.

This guide was inspired by the young womenof Solomon Islands whose ground breaking
work to reach communities of young women
who had previously had no opportunity to‘Rise Up’ Your work is valued and recognised
globally.

Unique to the Rise Up! model is the inclusion ofreligious, cultural and traditional perspectives
that enable women’s empowerment andleadership. Thanks to the YWCA Solomon
Islands and young women in Asia and thePacific, the Rise Up model has been scaled
up and further developed to take the model
global.

This Guide would not be possible without
the ideas and contributions from the Young
Women’s Peer Review group including:Vanessa, Daniela, Sophia, Sushila, Nirmala,Clarine, Naomi, Esther, Natalie, Kiri and Erica.

It’s a leadership training model designed byyoung women for young women.

We acknowledge the World YWCA team’s
consistent support for this project and offer
special thanks to Gladys, Rebeka, Hendrica,
Rita, Daniela, Linnea and Juli for their
particular efforts and insights in the creation ofthis Guide.

I didn’t even know that I had rights. To
be bold and transformative, you havetobe included, respected, skilled,
involved connected...you always
have to be like ‘I can do it’. If they can
do it why not me?

To the consultant leading the process
Elizabeth Nash a big thank you.

Background

Clarine, Solomon Island

In 2010, young women at the YWCA Solomon
Islands created The Rise Up! Young Women’s
Leadership Programme with support from theFiji Women’s Rights Movement.
Rise Up! was specifically designed toharness the leadership potential of the mostmarginalised and disadvantaged young
women in the region, including those living
in urban settlements and rural areas. Rise
Up! includes a combination of participatory

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5

Table of Contents
An Introduction to Young Women’s Transformative Leadership ......................................................6

Topics for Discussion............................................................................................................................43

Outline of The Global Rise Up! Guide...................................................................................................7

Child, Early and Forced Marriage.................................................................................................. 44

How to Use The Global Rise Up! Guide.................................................................................................7

Early and Unintended Pregnancy.................................................................................................. 49

YWCA Young Women’s Transformative Leadership Journey.............................................................9Transformative Leadership Journey in Practice: An Example..................................................... 11
Transformative Leadership Journey: Phase 1................................................................................ 12
Transformative Leadership Journey: Phase 2................................................................................ 14
Transformative Leadership Journey: Phase 3................................................................................ 16
Transformative Leadership Journey: Phase 4................................................................................ 18
Transformative Leadership Journey: Phase 5................................................................................ 20
The Power of Young Women’s Transformative Leadership...............................................................22
What We Need to be Young Women Leaders...................................................................................24

How HIV Impacts the Lives of Women and Girls........................................................................... 54
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights:............................................................................... 58
Peace, Security and Gender Equality........................................................................................... 63
Climate Justice and Gender Equality............................................................................................ 68
Sex Trafficking.................................................................................................................................... 72
Violence Against Women and Girls............................................................................................... 76
Economic Justice and Gender Equality........................................................................................ 81
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Questioning (LGBTIQ)................................. 86
Bullying and Cyber-Bullying............................................................................................................. 90
Menstruation and how it Affects the Lives of Women and Girls................................................. 95

The SDGs and Young Women’s Leadership in Action ......................................................................25

Faith, Feminism and Human Rights................................................................................................. 99

Her Call to Action: What YWCA Young Women of the World Want by 2030..................................28

ACTIVITIES............................................................................................................................................103

A Human Rights-Based Approach to Young Women’s Transformative Leadership.....................29

Warm-up and Energizer Activities................................................................................................ 103
Leadership Activities...................................................................................................................... 103
Human Rights Activities.................................................................................................................. 103
Topic Specific Activities................................................................................................................. 103
Closing and Evaluation Activities................................................................................................. 103

Using a HRBA is about putting into action key human rights principles .................................... 29
Non-Discrimination, Participation and Accountability................................................................ 29
Safe Spaces For Young Women’s Leadership...................................................................................32
Notes for Facilitators.............................................................................................................................34
Overview........................................................................................................................................... 34
Why Young Women-only Workshops are Important...........................................................................35
Creating Safe Spaces...................................................................................................................... 36

Illustrated Stories of Leadership from the Movement......................................................................134
Additional Resources.........................................................................................................................147
Glossary of Terms...............................................................................................................................148
Appendix............................................................................................................................................151

Topics for Discussion......................................................................................................................... 37
Techniques for Creating Dynamic Workshops.............................................................................. 38
Planning a Session or Workshop...................................................................................................... 39
Outline for a Topic-specific Workshop........................................................................................... 40
How you can create a Topic of Discussion workshop................................................................. 41

67

An Introduction toYoung Women’s
Transformative
Leadership

Outline of
The Rise Up! Guide
The Global Rise Up! Guide is made up of three main parts:

1
2

A knowledge base offers Topics for Discussion which can be used to inform activities
and discussions, and shape what it means to be a transformative leader (13 topics
include: Child, Early and Forced Marriage (CEFM); Sexual and Reproductive Healthand Rights (SRHR); Menstruation; Early and Unintended Pregnancy; Sexual Orientation
and Gender Identity (LGBTIQ); HIV and AIDS; Sex Trafficking; Violence Against Womenand Girls (VAWG); Peace, Security and Gender Equality; Climate Change and Gender
Equality; Economic Justice and Gender Equality; Bullying and Cyber Bullying; Faith andFeminism). Each topic includes related Human Rights, SDGs and Guiding Questions.

3

An action base provides some participatory activities, in addition to a series of Notes
for Facilitators to ensure trainers have guidance and encouragement to create locally
relevant sessions. The Guide can be used on its own or combined with pre-existing local
leadership activities.

YWCAs around the world develop the transformative leadershipand collective power of young women to achieve justice, peace,
health, human dignity, freedom and care for the environment.
This Global Guide is a tool to share and strengthen the
YWCA movement’s good practices in leadership training fortransformative change. At the core of this leadership journey isa young woman’s ability to know and claim her human rights athome and in her community, while contributing to strengthen
the movement of young women and girls within her country andbeyond.
YWCA Young Women’s Transformative Leadership builds upon
the existing knowledge, creativity, and capacity of YWCA
young women to become leaders for positive social, economicand environmental change. It celebrates the processes bywhich together young women explore their strengths, educate
themselves, identify as decision makers, and have the confidence,
knowledge, information, skills, and support to understand andmanage power imbalances, challenge injustices, hold powerfulpeople to account and make positive change in their lives.
For over 150 years YWCAs around the world have shone a lighton the powers and capabilities of women, young women andgirls. Championing their human rights is at the core of what we
do. Advocating for the rights of all is our global agenda whereby
young women, through their leadership, transform power
structures to create justice, gender equality and a world without
violence and war.
This guide aims to provide a self-determined approach for young
women to develop leadership skills, awareness of their strengths,
knowledge of their rights and opportunities for action.

8

A theoretical base examines what we mean by transformative leadership and includes
the YWCA Young Women’s Transformative Leadership Journey which incorporates
Human Rights, Safe Spaces and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as building
blocks for transformative leadership.

How to Use
The Rise Up! Guide
Secondly, deepening everyone’s
understanding of Human Rights is important,so take some time to read and think about A
Human Rights-Based Approach to Leadershipand the additional information provided onhuman rights conventions and agreements(see Appendix: What are Human Rights).
Knowing and talking about how rights relate
to our lives and the lives of others helps
develop a common understanding of humanrights and supports transformative leadershipskills that address injustices, promote personal
growth and work towards more equitablesocial, economic and environmental
progress.

Firstly, look through the whole Guide sothat you know the different sections andhave a clear idea of what you might liketo use in your trainings and advocacy. This
Guide brings together the concepts of Safe
Spaces, Human Rights, and the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) as a solidbase upon which to build young women’s
leadership. The Transformative Leadership
Journey can help identify the stages oflearning and action that shape trainings,
information sessions, engagement withdecision makers and advocacy work, andsharing leadership with others.

9Thirdly, when you feel comfortable with thetheoretical part of the Guide, look throughthe Topics for Discussion. Each of these issues
was identified by young women in the YWCA
movement as relevant to her leadership.
Each relates directly to our human rights andis structured so that you can apply a Human
Rights-Based Approach to discussing an issue
and planning local, national or international
actions and advocacy. In order to ensure thattrainings are relevant, have the young womenparticipants identify the topics that affecttheir lives.

• Use the Topics for Discussion with therelated Human Rights, SDGs and Guiding
Questions to shape the training.
• Review the Transformative Leadership
Journey and identify activities anddiscussions for each step.
• Review the Human Rights-BasedApproach to Leadership so you canguide human rights based discussions
with key questions.

YWCA Young Women’s
Transformative Leadership Journey
How can young women exercise leadership within Safe Spaces to advance their Human Rights
and to help contribute to the SDGs? This Young Women’s Transformative Leadership Journey
describes different steps, from knowing oneself to claiming rights, that can help young women
understand, share, and act together for a better world:• Choose a Leadership and/or Human
Rights related Activity

To create a leadership training (either one
session, one day or an extended training):• Create an activity to discuss the Topic for
Discussion by referring to the Techniques
for Creating Dynamic Workshops• Identify young women who can benefit
and are interested in leadership training(include young women who are directly
affected by the Topics of Discussion).

• Choose Warm-up and Evaluation
Activities

know
yourself• If appropriate choose an Illustrated Story
to share and discuss.

• Work with them to identify relevant Topics
for Discussion and to structure the training(the amount of time they can spend ateach session; number of sessions; when tomeet; convenient and safe location, etc.)

know
your rights
in your reality

Share yourleadershipstrengthen
your leadershipin a social movement

advocate
and act together

1011This transformative leadership journey begins with a young woman’s knowledge andunderstanding of herself as she strengthens her self-esteem, confidence and leadership skills.
Being supported by her peers to discover her unique talents and ways of sharing and leading,helps build her strength and vision for making positive social change.

Transformative Leadership Journey in Practice:

An Example

Awareness of her rights allows for a deeper understanding of problems as human rights
issues, highlighting gender inequalities, clearly identifying discrimination, and uncovering theroot causes of problems. Through identifying shared struggles, she is better able to see how
claiming human rights is a shared responsibility.

know
yourself

With her increased capacity to identify human rights challenges she can generate support
around a common cause that affects her wellbeing and that of other young women in her
community. She can help foster a groundswell of interest that can offer her a safe space forleadership within a social movement.
Within this supportive environment she can assess situations and gather information to
support advocacy (at home, school, in the community, or at the national or global level). By
choosing to act and advocate she creates opportunities to challenge discriminatory andunjust practices and policies. With the capacity to lead and analyze a situation from a humanrights perspective, she can identify relevant decision makers and engage with them to findsolutions. Sustainable solutions are reached when young women are included in decision
making and their human rights claims are reflected in improved services, judicial actions, andequitable policies. Regular assessment and monitoring of change and progress maintains theactive involvement of young women in the cycle of social, economic and political decision
making. A productive relationship with decision makers continues when young women canshare ideas and hold them accountable for upholding human rights.
As a leader she shares this empowering experience with young women and girls in her
community, knowing that supporting others in their leadership journey will enrich andstrengthen social justice efforts and the lives of many.
The result is two pronged, young women are supported to be confident and capable leaders
and at the same time, their applied capacities can challenge and change deeply rooted
inequalities and power structures that impede their progress. Leadership skills that are sotransformative at the individual level, become equally powerful in challenging her communityand country to address gendered power imbalances, exclusionary decision making
processes, and discriminatory attitudes.

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Maria aged 15 joins a leadershiptraining at the YWCA and learns
about her rights to Health and
Education and the right to marrywhen and who she wishes.

share yourleadershipknow
your rights
in your reality

Maria wants other girls to knowthat they too can stand up for
their right to go to school. She
decides to reach out to othergirls in her community to shareher story and inspire them tostand up for themselves andstudy, no matter what.

Maria gets pregnant and herteacher tells her to leave school
and to not come back…She
knows the teacher is wrong andcannot block her from going toschool. She wants to do something but is not sure what to do.

advocate
and act together

strengthen
your leadershipin a social movement

Maria and the out-of-school girls,
along with a representative fromthe local organization and a
supportive parent meet with theschool Director. They explain thatevery child has a right to go toschool. They share their stories andask that all pregnant girls who left
school be brought back so they
can all finish their schooling.

Maria knows of a few other girls who left
school because they were pregnant,some were even forced to marry. Mariareaches out to a local organization that
supports girls’ education and talks to theother girls. They collect information about
the national education laws that support
ALL children to go to school and theycollect stories from out-of-school children
which they plan to share with theschool Director.

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Transformative Leadership Journey: Phase 1

Transformative leadership includes understanding and addressing the root
causes that create inequalities, disempowerment, and young women’s lackof enjoyment of their human rights. Empowerment comes from knowing one isentitled to claim human rights and having the skills and support to do so.

Share yourleadershipknow
yourself

Transformational engagement happens when YWCAs work with young
women and girls. In recognizing their strengths and capacities YWCAs provide
opportunities for them to demonstrate and develop their leadership skills so that
their voices are heard and they take their rightful place as decision makers at
home, in their community or on the global stage.

know
your rights
in your reality

Remember, particular groups of young women are more vulnerable tohuman rights violations than others (young women living with HIV, living with adisability, living in rural areas, who are poor, out-of-school, orphans, from ethnic
and religious minorities, who are sex workers, and LGBTIQ, etc.) and so it isparticularly important to reach out to these more marginalized young womenand include them in every stage of the transformative leadership journey.

strengthen
your leadershipin a social movement

advocate
and act together

This part of the Transformative Leadership Journey is about empowering and enabling young
women to feel capable and informed, learn feminist leadership skills, and to network and shareexperiences with other young women.
Young women becoming leaders includes a recognition of the diversity of leadership qualities.
A leadership journey starts with knowing yourself. Building self-awareness and confidence sets afoundation for young women to explore and make choices throughout their lives. Each young
woman deserves a safe empowering space where she can voice her ideas and opinions,celebrate her unique character and discover herself as a leader. YWCAs empower young
women to recognise their own strength, worth, and power.

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Transformative Leadership Journey: Phase 2

The following questions are key to using human rights as a tool for understanding and resolving
the challenges that young women face. Asking these questions creates opportunities for young
women to identify their rights and to have a clear idea of what is wrong, what has to be done,
and who is responsible.
1. What is the problem and Who is being left behind? What is happening in my home orcommunity that seems unfair or not right? Which young women and girls are more likely tohave their human rights ignored or violated?
2. Why is this happening? What makes it difficult for young women to enjoy their rights? Are
there cultural practices and traditions that are discriminatory? Are there laws which treat
young women unfairly? Does society expect less of young women or demand that they
fulfill strict gender roles? Why is there discrimination against young women?

know
yourself

3. Who has the responsibility to do something about the problem? Who are the local decision
makers, powerful people, government officials, or service providers who should act? These
people have a duty to respond to and fulfill human rights, for example in education, health,or law enforcement.

share yourleadership

advocate
and act together

know
your rights
in your reality

4. What needs to be done? What can young women do and what do they need to do it?
Young women can use national laws and human rights conventions to better understandtheir rights and know what can be expected of government. They can use their leadershipskills to organize and mobilize efforts to engage decision makers in resolving a problem.
Young women can also observe and monitor progress and change. It is important toremember that in order to seek change in their lives and communities, young women willneed support, partners, and safe spaces.

strengthen
your leadershipin a social movement

Knowing and claiming human rights is one of the most powerful actions that young women cantake to shape their lives. Young women are best qualified to identify and find solutions to thechallenges they face. They have the right to make decisions about their bodies, their lives, andtheir futures. Transformative leadership is rooted in understanding human rights and using thatknowledge to act for sustainable change.
The materials in the Appendix offer brief explanations of some of the important humanrights conventions and agreements. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the Convention on the Elimination of all forms ofDiscrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), andthe Convention on the Rights of People Living with Disabilities (CRPD) before reviewing thequestions below (see Appendix: What are Human Rights?).

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Transformative Leadership Journey: Phase 3

know
yourselfknow
your rights
in your reality

share yourleadership

advocate
and act together

strengthen
your leadershipin a social movement

Experience has shown us that alone, theindividual voices of young women areoften forgotten or ignored, but together
their collective voice is deafening.
What Young Women Want YWCA 201418

Strengthening leadership within a social
movement means creating a sense ofunity and shared purpose among young
women. With information, support andencouragement, young women can identify
problems, recognize their human rights, reachout to form strategic partnerships, organize
solutions, and advocate for change. In thiscontext, a social movement may include
other young women, young people, andadults who are interested in working together
for change and are aware of the importanceof encouraging young women’s leadership.
Also, within a supportive group, young women
have the opportunity to learn from others, as
they can be mentored by peers or elders.

Ensure women’s full andeffective participation andequal opportunities forleadership at all levels ofdecision making in political,
economic and public life.

YWCA leadership does not conform toa narrow definition, such as one person
speaking and deciding for others. YWCA
leadership comes in many shapes and sizes,
many voices and even silences. Leadershipwithin a social movement encompasses
self-confidence, knowledge, having the
support of others and looking out for others.
Within a social movement leadership helps
create a common cause and shared actionplans. Young women may lead with peersor have the opportunity to share leadershipspace with women of all ages. Young women
may raise their voice alone or be one voice
among many. Young women leaders may
hold positions of authority and decision
making in an organization, speak on behalfof many in national or international events, orconfidently voice their opinion at the familytable.

SDGS TARGET 5.5

that supports different leadership choices.
No matter what form her leadership takes,
young women will benefit from support.
Social movements, friends and peers,
like-minded groups, and networks of civilsociety organizations can all play a role infostering young women’s leadership. Social
movements need to be Safe Spaces foryoung women. Issues of trust, acceptance ofdiversity, and privacy are essential elements
to supporting young women in their analysis ofhuman rights in order to help them move fromknowledge of rights to action for rights.

Whether a young woman decides to act
individually or within a movement, it isimportant to ensure an enabling environment

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A young woman must decide for herself the issues she feels
comfortable championing. Within her social movement
she can then create safe spaces for dialogue andconstructive conversations. Using a human rights lensin leadership helps ask the questions that uncoverwhat human rights are at stake; who is most at
risk of harm; who has to do something about it;
and what they and young women need to takeaction. Knowing your rights includes being awareof the responsibilities of those people in your family,community and country who must respect, protect
and fulfill your human rights and the rights of others.

Transformative Leadership Journey: Phase 4

know
yourself

It is important to shape actions and advocacy
around what can be expected of government,
service providers, and even parents and religious
leaders. Actions and advocacy that focus on improving
collaboration with people responsible for upholding humanrights can have the most sustainable effect. Identifying
and engaging people in power and those responsible
for upholding human rights is something that young
women can do together and by partnering withother concerned individuals and groups. Young
women can also connect with other YWCAs
in their country or region to shareexperiences and learn from theirsuccessful advocacy efforts.

know
your rights
in your reality

share yourleadershipstrengthen
your leadershipin a social movement

advocate
and act together

Conflicts and tensions canarise when actions aretaken that shift power
imbalances or challenge the social norms.
Taking everyone’s safety and security
into consideration is a priority. Young
women leaders can identify what
actions they feel comfortable taking
and then partners and supporters canhelp minimize risks. In all advocacy
work maintain a safe space for young
women to express their concerns
or change their planned actions if
necessary. Working within a social
movement is one way to help ensure
young women’s safety.

At times, you may find your rights ignored or not respected. There is
not always a fair outcome when a law or a rule is broken. That is why
deciding what to do when you are treated unfairly can be very difficult.
You may decide that you do not always want to assert, or declare yourrights, and that is fine. In some situations, it may even be unsafe to assert
your rights. However, it is important to know what your rights are. When
you know your rights, you can decide when, how and if you want tospeak up about them.
– YWCA of Canada Rights Guide (http://ywcarightsguide.ca)
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Photo: Unsplash

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Transformative Leadership Journey: Phase 5
Leadership in the YWCA is a journey; It doesn’t stop when you find yourself at the decision
making table, heading an organization, being asked to speak for a cause, or having yourproposal become policy. This final phase of the Young Women’s Transformative Leadership
journey promotes connection between a young woman leader and other young people in her
home, school, community, and country who may benefit from her support. She shares life skills,
information, and her own leadership experiences which can inspire others. Leadership is not a
finite quality, rather it grows and can be shared without leaving the original leader with less. In
the YWCA, leadership is expansive and inclusive.

know
yourselfknow
your rights
in your reality

share yourleadershipstrengthen
your leadershipin a social movement

advocate
and act together

Sharing leadership is frequently intergenerational. Older experienced women encourage young
women by providing opportunities to meet decision makers, share advice, listen to their ideas,
let them make decisions, and teach life and professional skills. Young women can teach older
women new skills and activism, so that they too can stand up for themselves and have a voice.
Also, empowered and informed young women can share their leadership with their peers andreach out to marginalized young women who may not have had the same opportunities toexperience leadership. Often inter-generational leadership sharing starts with the creation ofa Safe Space where young women, in all their diversity, can meet and learn from and with
one another. On an institutional level, all YWCAs are mandated to ensure that 25% of decision
making positions are filled by young women under 30 years of age. This is important, as sharing
leadership does not always come naturally and therefore must be a required practice andactively monitored.
The goal of this leadership journey is to ensurethat all young women feel prepared to voice
their opinions and take action for issues thatare important in their lives, while feelingsupported and safe. Leadership is acontinuum that has a beginning but no
set end.

Never doubt that a small group ofthoughtful, committed citizens canchange the world, indeed it’s the only
thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead

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The Power of Young Women’s
Transformative LeadershipThis Rise Up! Guide identifies and explores the building blocks of transformative leadership.
Firstly, shared and inter-generational leadership styles qualify leadership and identify thecharacteristics and values of transformational leadership. Secondly, knowing and claiming
Human Rights informs and defines the change that comes from applying transformative
leadership. Thirdly, Safe Spaces both within and outside of YWCAs are the opportunities wheretransformative leadership is supported and practiced. And lastly, the Sustainable Development
Goals offer a framework within which transformational leadership can make sustainablechange from the local to the global level.

E SPACEFSSAHow can we recognize
shared and intergenerational
leadership in our movement?

It is a notion of leadership that encourages
intentional engagement that is rooted inhuman rights.
Because of their age and gender, young
women can face multiple forms of
discrimination and violence, including
physical and sexual violence, being denied
an education, being forced to marry,
vulnerability to HIV infection, working in theinformal sector, or being denied services that
help them make informed and responsible
decisions about their reproductive and sexual
health. Being young and being a woman
is something to celebrate and it is throughstrengthening young women’s confidence
and leadership, and their place in social
movements, that they can challenge deeply
rooted gender and age discrimination andpower imbalances that limit their options andopportunities.

Creation of Safe Spaces forrespectful and empowering
dialogue at the local, national andglobal levels
Genuine and inclusive
engagement based on active andmeaningful participation
Recognition of who has power
and access to opportunities andensuring that these are shared
Engagement in intergenerational
dialogues on important issues

Leadership is often presented as something
done by heroic leaders, usually men, andthe leadership work of women, young
women and girls has historically been andcontinues to be overlooked. YWCAs teachand practice shared and intergenerational
leadership which means ensuring that ourorganizational culture and ways of working
adapt to the changes and challenges eachnew generation faces. Learning sharedleadership requires moving beyond the ideaof leadership as a quality of individuals andto learn to practice leadership as a collective
and learning process. YWCAs aim to growleader-full organizations, rather than toreplace one set of leaders with another.

Human
RightsSDGs

The YWCA has a history, since 1884, of women leaders at the center of critical analysis andinstitutional changes in communities, countries and in global institutions. Within the YWCA,
transformative leadership is a life long journey grounded in ensuring that every woman,
young woman and girl knows and claims her rights. Transformative leadership derives from anunderstanding that we have to address the root causes and the underlying factors that create
inequalities, disempowerment and young women’s lack of enjoyment of their human rights.

24

Inclusive decision making processes

Transformative leadership is a long term
investment at both the personal andinstitutional level. The transformative
leadership of young women is also a crucial
contribution to the implementation andsuccess of the SDGs. Young women able tocritically assess challenges to their humanrights and able to organize and advocate forsocial, economic and environmental change,
are part of the global effort to ensure thatdevelopment leaves no one behind.

Transformative leadership involves selfrealization and growth, working with others(in age, religion, race, gender, etc), support
from peers and elders, and opportunities toengage in decision making. It also includes
understanding and practicing shared andinter-generational leadership.

Young women are diverse in so many ways,
and yet they often share qualities that
support their leadership, such as: confidence,awareness of her value and rights,
communication skills to connect with others,
bravery to champion a cause, compassion
to understand others, and intelligence toquestion and understand a problem. Gaining
these qualities and others are an importantpart of a transformative leadership journey.

25

What We Need to be
Young Women Leaders

The SDGs and Young
Women’s Leadership in Action

Young women from the YWCA movement have identified key supporting factors that arenecessary to build their leadership skills and create opportunities for them to affect change. The
following ideas are important to consider when creating a training session, and can be sharedwith anyone in a position of power or responsibility who works on issues relevant to young women.
The YWCA young women emphasized the importance of being: 2

Safe – When a young womenexperiences physical, sexual,
economic, or emotional violence,
she is prevented from contributing to
public life, making decisions, earning
an income, and fulfilling her potential
as a leader.

who are HIV positive, lesbian young
women or those living in rural andremote areas, experience a double
or triple burden of disadvantage andexclusion.

The Future Young Women Want is a
future where there is gender equality,

Connected – By sharing knowledge,

information, and resources witheach young women can ensure theeffectiveness and sustainability of
their efforts to build young women’s
leadership. Providing opportunities forpeer-to-peer learning is important forthe personal development of young
women.

Respected – Young women who arerespected will be more confident in
speaking up for themselves, and theirfamilies, will have more control overtheir sexual, reproductive and physicalhealth, will be more likely to continue
their education and will have more
opportunities to fulfill their potential.

laws are respected and rights
are protected. It is a future where
everyone, everywhere has access tonutritious food, quality health care,basic services such as clean waterand electricity, as well as housing,education, employment, technology
and transportation. Young women

Included – Young women often ‘fall

through the cracks’ because they are
not covered by children’s legislationand policy, are out numbered by boys
in young people’s programs and areoften unable to speak out in women’s
forums. Some young women, suchas those living with disability, those

Skilled – Young women deserve

equality, opportunities, and rights inall aspects of education, training andwork. Ensuring that young women haveaccess to quality formal education andmeaningful work is essential if they are
to become leaders.

dream of a world of peace, security
and sustainable living, where they
can realise their full potential, free of
discrimination.

World YWCA, Beyond 2015

2

Pacific YWCA Young Women’s Leadership Strategy 2011-2014

26

27

In September of 2015 at
the United Nations, every
government of every country
in the world adopted the2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development. The Agenda
includes 17 Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) toensure social justice, economic
growth, and environmental
sustainability for all. The SDGs
place achieving genderequality, empowering young
women, and realizing their
human rights at the center ofdevelopment efforts.
The Sustainable Development
Goals are a promise andan opportunity for young
women. The SDGs are notjust an agreement between
governments, but a social
contract for governments andtheir citizens to work together
to make these goals a reality.
No one is to be left behind.
Everyone has a role to play. For
young women and girls that isparticularly important as they
are often marginalized, silenced,
and ignored when decisions
are taken that directly affecttheir lives. Their strengthened
capacity and leadership is key toachieving the SDGs.
In recognition of thefundamental importance ofgender equality for the successof the 2030 Agenda, Goal 5 sets
out to Achieve Gender Equality
and Empower All Womenand Girls, and calls for theelimination of all gender-based
discrimination and violence.
Each of the 17 goals has related
Targets. Following are the Targets
that support Goal 5:

GENDEREQUALITYThe SDGs are interrelated. Achieving one goal can help the achievement of others, or ignoring
one may mean that another goal is not met; both cases affect how young women experience
gender equality. All governments are now tasked with changing laws, implementing policies,
providing adequate funding, and expanding programs and services to achieve the goals by2030. Governments have an obligation to put these goals into practice.
Here is an example to show how the SDGs are interrelated and relevant to a young woman’s life:

A young woman who has notcompleted primary education

oo End all forms of discrimination against all women andgirls everywhere.

oo Eliminate all forms of violence against all womenand girls in the public and private spheres, including
trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.

may grow up to rely on farming for her family income. If shecannot own the land nor access credit to improve yields

she and her family are more vulnerable tohunger and poverty.

oo Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, earlyand forced marriage and female genital mutilation.

oo Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic workthrough the provision of public services, infrastructureand social protection policies and the promotion ofshared responsibility within the household and thefamily as nationally appropriate.

oo Ensure women’s full and effective participation andequal opportunities for leadership at all levels ofdecision making in political, economic and public life.

As a result, girls in the family are more likely
to leave school,
and are twice as likely as wealthy girls to marry as
children,thus raising the risk of early pregnancy, violence
within relationships, and dying in childbirth.

oo Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive

health and reproductive rights as agreed inaccordance with the Programme of Action of
the International Conference on Population andDevelopment and the Beijing Platform for Action andthe outcome documents of their review conferences.

oo Undertake reforms to give women equal rights toeconomic resources, as well as access to ownershipand control over land and other forms of property,
financial services, inheritance and natural resources,in accordance with national laws.

oo Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular
information and communications technology, topromote the empowerment of women.

oo Adopt and strengthen sound policies andenforceable legislation for the promotion of genderequality and the empowerment of all women andgirls at all levels.

28

The economic, educational, physical and emotional wellbeing of women, young women andgirls are connected and rely on the achievement of all SDGs.

We will measure the SDGs’ success by the situation of young women and girls in 2030. A 20
year old in 2015 will be 35 in 2030; a 10 year old will be 25.
What decisions will they be able to make about who they love or marry?
If, when and how many children to have?
How to make, spend and save money?
How to prevent and prepare for climate related challenges?
The fulfillment of young women and girls’ human rights now will be the measuring stick toassess the SDGs.

29

Her Call to Action
What YWCA Young Womenof the World Want by 2030
If we are to achieve a world of peace, equality and justice, we mustbe accountable to the world’s 860 million young women. They are
more than a statistic - they are a valuable asset to nations, a critical
population group for achieving sustainable human development
and their voices must count in shaping the future of humanity.
World YWCA, Beyond 2015

A Human Rights-BasedApproach to Young Women’s
Transformative Leadership
The YWCA movement must address the underlying root causes ofinequalities, rights violations, marginalisation and exclusion of womenand the gap in their access to opportunities. Transforming the social,economic, cultural and political power structures, which are currently
expressed in and through patriarchy, is critical. This will require afull power analysis as well as changes both within and outside themovement to address issues related to privilege and entitlement,
especially the intersection of race, class, caste and gender.
–World YWCA Envision 2030

Identifying problems and communicating them as human rights claims is an important step
towards advocacy and action. For example, during the creation of the SDGs YWCA young
women mobilized and made a Call to Action to help shape the SDGs and ensure that theirconcerns were included. Here is what they asked for:• Elimination of legal and social barriers thatprevent full access to health and otherservices• Elimination of all forms of violenceagainst women and girls by ensuring zerotolerance of violence and an end to
impunity for perpetrators.

• Full enrolment of girls and boys in primaryand secondary schooling.

• Eradication of early and forced marriage,and other harmful practices including
female genital mutilation.

• Equal access to decent employment
and economic opportunities, as well as
equal access to, control and ownership ofproperty.

• Comprehensive and age-appropriate
sexuality education for all young people
in and out of school, including trainingof health educators to ensure evidencebased, non- judgmental and confidential
information provision.

• Equitable access and participation ofyoung women, including those fromvulnerable groups, in decision making
at all levels and in all sectors towards
building peaceful, sustainable andhealthy communities.

• Universal and equitable access to sexualand reproductive health services andreproductive rights

Through a social movement young womencan create their own Call to Action,
advocate, and act together for positivechange. What will your Call to Action be?

• Universal access to effective andvoluntary HIV prevention, treatment, careand support services for all those whoneed it.

30

Young women have the right to the information, support and opportunities that are necessary
to create positive change in their lives. They have the vitality, creativity, courage and vision toseek social change. And they have the right to speak for themselves and question the attitudes
and systems that limit their lives and their choices.
Adopting a Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) to leadership, advocacy, and movementbuilding, strengthens young women’s leadership on an individual and institutional level. In
order to harness the power of human rights for the benefit of young women, it is necessary tounderstand human rights principles and how they can be applied to everyday issues. Humanrights are universal and that means that they apply equally to everyone.

Using a HRBA is about putting into action
key human rights principles
Non-Discrimination, Participation and Accountability
Putting Non-Discrimination into practice means making sure everyone is treated fairly
and equally. Transformative leaders can recognize when someone’s rights are being
threatened and are aware that some young women are at a higher risk of being ignored or
disadvantaged. This means that government services, projects, programs and policies must
serve members of society who are often left behind, marginalized, silenced and ignored. Eachcountry or community may have different marginalized people and often, young women areamong the most discriminated.

31

active and meaningful. Participation does
not mean just sitting and listening, nor doesit mean just helping out. For young womenleaders, active participation means that they
are helping shape the discussion of an issue,
looking for solutions to a problem, planninghow to improve a situation, taking action,and then checking if change has happened.
Participation challenges power imbalancesand redistributes decision making among amore diverse group.

Commonly marginalized young
women include: young womenand girls living with disabilities,
LGBTIQ, out-of-school girls,
ethnic minority groups, sex
workers, indigenous young
women, internally displaced
women and children, refugees,
asylum seekers, migrant
workers, and many others.

Accountability is being held responsible fora task, job, program, or upholding a law.
Accountability for human rights means thatcertain people (for example government
representatives and service providers) must
respect, protect and fulfill human rights.
Putting accountability into action involves
young women knowing and demanding theirrights, and those responsible taking action to
improve a situation.

Participation allows people, especially those
who are often left out of decision-making,an opportunity to be engaged in community
decisions and to contribute to positivechange in their lives and the lives of others.
In order to ensure that participation creates
human rights affirming change, it must be

PARTICIPATIONAND EMPOWERMENT

Young womenclaim rights fromdecision makers

Young Women

Here is a what putting these human rights principles into action can look like:
Here is an example:

Young womenclaim this rightby meeting the Director/Representative andexplain what needs to bechanged.

The Director and theGovernment
representatives

Young Women

learn about their right to education
and understand that all children must
go to school.

are aware of their responsibilities
and offer to work together toimprove the situation.

They identify a problem:without toilets many girls drop out ofschool when they begin to menstruate. The young women identify those
who are responsible.

The young womenmonitorthe upkeep of the toilets andcommunicate any further
needs.

The Director
agreesenabled as transformative
leaders to know and claim
their rights

to have girls toilets
built in a safe space.

Equality andDecision makers
non-discrimination
respond to claims
Focus on thosemost marginalized

and fulfill human rights
Young women must have access tocomprehensive sexuality and HIV
education, reproductive health services andcommodities, and the ability to decide freely

Decision makers/
Goverment
aware of their
responsibilities

when to marry and have children, if the rightto health is to become a reality. All forms of

ACCOUNTABILITY
AND TRANSPARENCY

violence that impact on this right must be
eradicated.
YWCA The Future Young Women Want 201432

33

Safe Spaces
For Young Women’s Leadership
From emergency shelters for survivorsof violence, to safe spaces for young
women to discuss harmful traditional
practices and cultural taboos, tosupport groups for women living with
HIV, and inclusive and accessible
spaces for women with disabilities,
YWCAs are synonymous with Safe
Space. But what do we mean by
Safe Spaces and how can you
ensure that you create Safe Spaces
for women, young women andgirls? The World YWCA’s
publication YWCA Safe
Spaces for Women and Girls:
A Global Model for
Change (2013)3 offers
proven strategies andcase studies forcreating, promoting
and expanding
safe spaces.

Training sessions and discussion groups offer spaces where young women can talk about taboo
subjects without fear or judgment and can build their awareness of international and national
commitments that affect their lives. In Safe Spaces, young women are encouraged to reflect on
their own and other’s experiences, share ideas and information, and plan transformative actions.
Safe Spaces can also help create opportunities for young women to engage in direct dialogue
with government representatives, policy makers and other decision makers. YWCA transformative
leadership trainings can build relationships between young women and local and national
decision makers, which fosters accountability and can help connect local or national policies
and programs to the lived experiences of young women.

3

You can request a copy of YWCA Safe Spaces for Women and Girls: A Global Model for Change (2013) from the World Office orfind it on line http://www.worldywca.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/World-YWCA-Safe-Spaces-Model.pdf

34

Young women’s leadership can flourish in Safe Spaces when these spaces include the...

8 Defining Elements of a YWCA Safe Space
1 Accessible and Safe Location: Trainings and meetings take place inaccessible areas, central and convenient to women, young women andgirls, where safety and privacy are assured. It is important to reach isolated
communities through mobile outreach programs and rural networks, and topromote urban and rural visibility to ensure awareness of and participation in
YWCA activities.
2 Leadership and Participation: YWCAs are women-led spaces that offer
inclusive and empowering spaces for women, young women and girls of allages and in all their diversity. Leadership development and participation are
essential components of YWCA programming, fostering a sense of solidarityand ownership that transforms a beneficiary into an active agent of change.
3 Accurate and Reliable Information: YWCAs share and promote evidencebased information that supports women, young women and girls to makeinformed choices.
4 Building Trust: YWCAs are places where women, young women and girls can
openly share their experiences, challenges and traumas, and be assured ofconfidentiality and support.
5 Holistic Approaches: YWCAs take into consideration the multiple facets ofwomen’s lives and deliver services that respond to the life cycle of women,
young women and girls. Education and economic empowerment arerecognized as fundamental tools for empowerment, personal security andclaiming rights.
6 Intergenerational Cooperation: YWCAs encourage intergenerational sharing,
mentoring and cooperation between women and girls of all ages. These
supportive relationships are based on respect and equality among different
age groups, with a focus on developing young women’s leadership.
7 Dignity and Respect: The organizational structure of YWCAs provides a local
and global network of women, young women and girls who support andinspire one another. It is a place where women, young women and girls in allof their diversity are respected and their dignity and rights are upheld.
8 Partnership and Accountability: YWCAs are part of their communities and arepermanent, reliable and sustainable spaces for women, young women andgirls. They work in partnership with local, regional and global actors to advance
women’s rights and demand accountability from relevant duty bearers.

35

Notes for Facilitators

NOTES FOR FACILITATORS

Overview

Why Young Women-only Workshops are Important4
The following Topics for Discussion havebeen identified by YWCA Young Women as
fundamental for fostering informed, inspired
and healthy young women. As young womenlearn about their rights and explore their own
opinions and experiences, their confidence
grows and so does their leadership. Young
women’s transformative leadership andaction in these areas of concern, promises a
better future for young women, their families,
communities and the world:

These Notes for Facilitators aim to support
you in the creation of Young Women’s
Transformative Leadership workshops. In
addition to this Overview there are Notes on:• Why it’s important to run a Young Womenonly Workshop• Creating Safe Spaces• Topics for Discussion• Techniques for Dynamic Workshops• Child, Early and Forced Marriage (CEFM)• An Outline for Planning a Session• Sexual and Reproductive Health andRights (SRHR)• An Outline for a Topic-Specific Workshop
There is a selection of activities andtechniques for creating discussions, sourced
from country-specific and global YWCA
training manuals, in addition to materials fromdiverse experts in the fields of training, humanrights, and youth leadership:• Early and Unintended Pregnancy• Increasing women’s skills and knowledge
makes them dissatisfied and can evenbreak up the family.

1. Warm-up and Energizer Activities
2. Leadership Activities• Sex Trafficking

3. Human Rights Activities• Violence Against Women and Girls(VAWG or Gender-Based Violence)

4. Topic Specific Guided Discussions• Peace, Security and Gender Equality

5. Closing and Evaluation Activities• Climate Justice and Gender Equality

All of the activities and guided discussions aremeant to provide an opportunity for young
women to learn about themselves and theirrights. They are meant to help young women
better understand inequalities and feel
confident to challenge injustices.

• Socialization for females and males
is different. The outcome of this is thatwomen often lack self confidence, selfesteem and life management skills.

Establishing women-only groups may attract
negative attention and you may confront
these common sexist attitudes or hear these
untrue comments:• It is sexist because boys are excluded.

• HIV and AIDS

• Women are discriminated against in
every sphere of their lives including
employment, health, education andrecreation.

ATTENTION…

• Menstruation• Gender Identify and Sexual Orientation(LGBTIQ)

There are very good reasons for conducting
women-only groups and well documented
evidence and research to back them up:

The World YWCA urges you to create young
women-only Safe Spaces for young women to
explore their leadership and a wide range of
topics, many of which are intensely personaland some even considered taboo. A young
women-only space offers an atmosphereof common concern and prioritizes young
women’s opinions and experiences.

• Women are taught to defer to men in all
situations including discussion groups andeducation programs. Women behave
differently in single sex groups than they
do in mixed groups.
• In mixed groups men control theconversation. In women-only groups,
women have all of the time and space
available, including the opportunity totake on leadership functions, which areusually denied to them in mixed groups.

• Young women need to deal with reality
and having them in a single sex groups
does not force them to do so.
• Boys have problems and also needgroups.

Young women-only groups can benefit
from the experience of older women who
can assist as topic experts or mentors. Their
presence however must be in support ofyoung women, and they should not dominate
discussions or decisions.

• As we already have equal opportunityand equal pay no more change isneeded.

• Economic Justice and Gender Equality• Bullying and Cyber-Bullying• Faith, Feminism and Human Rights

4 YWCA Australia, Greater Expectations: A Source Book for Working with Girls and Young Women (1984)

36

37

NOTES FOR FACILITATORSNOTES FOR FACILITATORS

Creating Safe Spaces

Topics for Discussion(from the YWCA of India)

non aggressive safe environment
where the participants are ensured thatthe information they will share will beprotected and private within the circle.

• Most people define their ‘world’ in
different ways. It is in the private spaces offamily in homes, bedrooms and kitchens.
These intimate spaces should offer love,care, and support, as well as nurture thefull potential of every person. Yet too
often, these private spaces are where
young people, and especially womenand girls experience domestic violence,
sexual abuse or neglect. The notion of‘being safe’ speaks to the enjoyment of
universal human rights and being freefrom stigma and discrimination.

• That what has been shared will be used
for empowering each other without
discrimination and prejudgment andpreventing stereotypes that block
opinions of others.
• The Facilitator must also ensure that each
person has the right to their opinion,
without the need for everyone to accept
it in its entirety, and that they can share
their views without being condemned or
judged.

• The YWCA Safe Space Hub provides aplace where young people, especiallygirls can openly share their experiences
and challenges, access information,
develop more awareness of their rights
and build their capacity to claim theserights as empowered leaders, decision
makers and change agents. Safe space
also creates opportunity for young
people and girls to have friends. These
relationships enable them to discusschallenges and opt for solutions. Having
friends to talk to is something that manyof us take for granted, however, we often
don’t realize how important it is for ourlives.

• Thus, the creation of safe spaces foryoung people is the least expensive
intervention technique that can beused, but the most significant way tomake positive contributions in the lives ofeveryone, especially for the advantage
and empowerment of women and girls.

Partnerships
andAccountability• Having a safe space for discussion also
helps build awareness about issues,bust myths, discuss common concerns,
allows people to talk freely without
being discriminated or excluded fortheir identity and views and overcome
issues of stigma and fear which can beaddressed during the workshops once a
safe space is ensured.

Accessible andsafe location
1
2

8

Dignity and
Respect

YWCA
SAFE SPACE
MODEL

7

• The Facilitator has a great deal of
responsibility in ensuring such a spaceis created by providing an open yet

3
Accurate andreliable
information

As a Facilitator, you are the guide who makes
sure young women’s understanding of genderequality and human rights issues is deepened.
Your role is to invite everyone to deepen theirknowledge of the issues and challenges thatyoung women face in their lives.
You will need to read and be comfortable
talking about the selected topics. Readthrough the topic and make sure you findanswers to any questions you may have
before running a workshop. Inviting anexpert in the topic area can be very useful,to ensure that a high quality of information isshared with young women. Remember, as a
facilitator you have the responsibility to ensurethat the information to be shared is evidencebased and non-discriminatory. You can add
any relevant information that may be missing
from the participants’ analysis, and correct
any biases or stereotypes that may arise.

• background information• relevant facts• related human rights and Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs)• human rights-based questions that
promote taking action
This information is provided to help young
women explore these challenges in a waythat helps them better understand themselves
and their role in their family, community, andcountry. These are not easy topics; some aretaboo and others can be deeply frighteningor painful to discuss. The main objective is toencourage young women to examine these
problems from within a Safe Space where
they can openly share with and support one
another. Through a better understanding of
their rights, they can eventually work towards
taking Action for Change that can challenge
discrimination and eliminate inequality. The
Topics for Discussion help young womenknow that they have an active role to playin resolving problems and at the same timethey can strengthen their leadership skills
and position themselves as leaders in theircommunities.

The selected topics and the Guiding
Questions are meant to be used together
in order to keep conversations on track andto ensure that key information on a subject
is shared and understood in a way thathelps young women learn about their rights,
question power imbalances, and plan to takeaction. Then it is up to the Young Women to
decide what to do with that new knowledge.
It is important to create safe space within
which young women can explore thequestions, share their opinions, and create
their own positive Action for Change.

46Intergenerational
cooperation

Leadershipandpartecipation

The Topics for Discussion offer information
on life challenges that many young womenface as they develop from girls into women.
Young women in the YWCA movement haveidentified these issues as fundamental to thewellbeing, safety, and development of young
women. Each topic includes:

5
Bulding
Trust
Holistic
Approach

38

39

NOTES FOR FACILITATORSNOTES FOR FACILITATORSTechniques for Creating Dynamic Workshops5

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS(Source: It’s All One Curriculum)

By using different methods of facilitating andworking with groups, you can reach a wider
range of participants and keep everyone
engaged and learning. Here are some ideas
to keep your sessions creative and dynamic:

drama, poetry, and songs.
Ie. You could ask the participants to act out
the human rights related to a topic, or havethe young women write and present songs or
poetry about positive leadership qualities.

ICE BREAKERS AND ENERGIZERSGROUP DISCUSSIONS

These short activities keep things fun andpositive. They can help create a group
identity and sense of belonging as well as
keeping participants engaged and focused.
ie. Be creative and make up your own
energizers or ask the young women if theyknow of any fun games.

This gives participants a chance to express
themselves and to be heard and listen toothers. They also have the chance to expand
ideas and knowledge while strengthening
their thinking skills. Some examples are
informal dialogue and debates.
ie. You can use large group discussions at the
beginning and end of the workshop to ensurethat everyone has a common understandingof the topic and when you need to correct any
misinformation. Debates, after most of the topic
information has been covered, can also be a
fun way for young women to see many sides ofan argument. (Remember that not everyone is
comfortable sharing in a large group).

DISCUSSION TRIGGERS
These activities introduce issues andencourage raising questions for participants to
explore. They are most useful at the beginningof a session. Examples include: brainstorming,
agree/disagree exercises, case studies,
questions and statements to create dialogue,
presenting a problem.

PARTICIPATORY REFLECTION AND
ANALYSIS

Ie. You can introduce the topic and thenhave everyone brainstorm and call out all thewords that they associate with the topic (writethese on a Flipchart so everyone can see).
Or, you could tell a true story (case study) or
use the illustrated stories related to the topic
or have the young women share stories theyknow (remembering that privacy must be
respected) in order to start a discussion.

Dividing the participants into small groups
helps them learn to work together, share their
particular experiences and collaborate tosolve problems.
ie. Ask the young women to reflect on theirown experiences of a topic and to share andcompare within a small group. Small groups
are also excellent for identifying what needs
to change in a community and planning
Action for Change.

CREATIVE PLAY
These activities keep participants motivatedand encourage new thoughts and ideas.
There are also some participants who learn
best through games, art projects, role-playing,5

It’s a good idea to choose a variety ofmethods to encourage wide and active
participation during the workshop.

These activities help participants examine
and learn from their own experiences
and helps foster self-awareness that may
encourage new attitudes and behaviours.
Some examples are guided memories, values
clarification and creative art projects.
Ie. After discussing a topic you can ask young
women to think about their own lives, reflect
on when one of their rights or someone else’s
was not respected. Then have them imagine
how they would act differently now that they
are aware of their rights. (Remember thatsome people may not want to share theirpersonal reflections and will want to keepthem private).

Planning a Session orWorkshop

As a Facilitator you can be creative in how
you want to run a workshop. It is best (andgood practice) to include young women
who will be participating, in the structuring of
the workshop. An inclusive and participatory
process will help ensure that the topics are
relevant to the young women and that thetiming and structure of the workshop will fit
their schedule.
8. Review the specific Topic for Discussion
and make sure you find answers to anyquestions you may have or that you
think the young women will ask. Also,
try to find local and national statistics,
additional information regarding humanrights and the local legal situation, andany culturally specific information that will
help ground the workshop in local reality.
Be prepared to provide information about
accessing local services, for example
for sexual and reproductive health, like
HIV testing, access to contraceptives,
counseling for survivors of violence, andother social and legal services related to
the Topic of Discussion.

There is no one way to generate
understanding, confidence and leadership;
but this Rise Up! Guide can help you explore
the Topics for Discussion in a way that
uncovers human rights and fosters action for
positive change. An Outline for Planning a
Workshop and an Outline for a Topic-SpecificWorkshop are included here to assist the
Facilitators and young women in deepening
everyone’s knowledge of transformative
leadership and human rights.

An Outline for Planninga Workshop
6. Visit the community to meet with
community gate-keepers (local,
traditional and religious leaders,and parents) who can support andencourage young women’s participation.

9. Identify any experts and activists (ie.
nurses, community mobilizers, local
NGOs) in this topic who can support theworkshop by providing an information
session and/or sharing their experiences.
(Experience working with young womenis best).

7. Meet with young women participants
and choose the specific topics to be
discussed.

10.

It’s All One Curriculum – 2009 The Population Council, Inc. p. 8

40

41

Choose Techniques for Creating

NOTES FOR FACILITATORSNOTES FOR FACILITATORS
you choose. Make photocopies of therequired information (for the Human
Rights and Leadership Activities) andmake sure there are copies of theWorkshop Evaluation for everyone.

Dynamic Workshops (in Notes for
Facilitators) and decide which types ofactivities you will use to explore the topic.
Ie. You could begin with brainstorming
in a big group, then use role-playing to
act out different human rights, and havesmall groups discuss the human rightsbased questions leading to individualreflection to create a Plan of Action.

13. Plan for Follow-up after the workshop,
to meet with the young women anddiscuss any Plans of Action they may
have implemented or difficulties they may
have faced. Refer to the Transformative
Leadership Journey’s Advocate and Act
Together to help young women see theiractions You can also collect inspiring
stories of leadership to share with others
and the wider YWCA movement.

11. Find a safe and accessible place tomeet that is comfortable and private.
12. Collect materials that you may need:
Flipchart and markers; paper and pensfor everyone; and any other materials
that will be specific to they activities

Outline for a Topic-specific Workshop
journey. As a Facilitator, your role is topromote the sharing of information and ideas,
with the goal of young women knowing andunderstanding their rights in their reality. When

Each of the 13 Topics for Discussion offers
information that can be used to expand
young women’s knowledge and confidencein support of their transformative leadership

How you can create a Topic of Discussion workshop
statistics if you have them. You may choose to
introduce the topic through telling a story or
using one of the illustrated stories provided in
the Guide. Another option is to use the Fact
Finding and Did you Know sections of the
Topic of Discussion to start a group discussion.
Use the information in the Topic for Discussion
to guide you.

Topic of Discussion:
Length of Workshop: This example includes 3
Sessions of approximately 4 hours each (thiswill vary depending on your planning andactivity choices).

CHOOSE A LEADERSHIP OR A
HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVITY

1st SESSION

Start by doing an activity that helps the young
women reflect on leadership and/or promotebetter understanding of human rights. You
can choose from the Activities list, use an
activity from local training manuals you
may already have, or refer to the Additional
Resources websites.

WELCOME
Take a moment to greet everyone andwelcome them to the Transformative
Leadership Workshop. Share any importantpractical information like the location of the
toilets, when the group will break for snacks orlunch, and when you plan to finish for the day.
Ask if there are any Questions before you start.

2nd SESSIONSET GROUP RULES

creating a workshop, refer to the Techniques
for Creating Dynamic Workshops (Notes toFacilitators) so that you can choose andcreate unique sessions that are based on
the different parts of the Topic of Discussion.
Also, keep the stages of the Transformative
Leadership Journey in mind as you can refer toit for guidance.

their opinions, and create their own positive
Action for Change.

Refer to the Warm Up, Ice Breakers andEnergizers in the Guide to set the Ground
Rules that will help ensure that all young
women present will find it a Safe Space where
they feel comfortable sharing and learning.
Post the RULES where everyone can see them.
The Group Rules should be reviewed at thestart of every day.

EXPLORE THE TOPIC
Use the Topic for Discussion as a guide.
To help everyone better understand the Topic,
you can prompt the young women to ask
questions and share their ideas by asking Why
does this Happen in their community from theTopic of Discussion. As a Facilitator choosesome Discussion Triggers like Questions andAnswers, Brainstorming in a big group, or othertechniques. Sometimes it can help to havethe young women discuss the issue in small
groups and then come back together toshare and brainstorm all their ideas. Record
ideas on a flipchart so that everyone can see
and you have a record of the ideas.

ICE BREAKER ACTIVITY
This will help everyone relax and get to know
one another.

You can use small group discussions, drama,
story telling, games, or other methods tohelp participants reach a greater level ofunderstanding. Then it is up to the young
women to decide what to do with thatnew knowledge. It is important to allow theparticipants to explore their questions, share

INTRODUCE THE TOPIC
Share some of the general information
about the topic and how it relates to young
women’s lives and leadership. This is a goodtime to share some national of local facts or

42

43

EXPERT INFORMATION SESSION (optional)

Encourage self reflection and create Plans of
Action by referring to the Guide’s Her Call to
Action. Use this example to support the young
women to create their own Plan of Actionthat states how they can make a difference
to the Topic of Discussion. You will need torefer to Session 2’s discussion that identified
who is responsible and what needs to be
done. Also, use the Transformative Leadership
Journey’s Strengthen Your Leadership withina Social Movement and Advocate and Act
Together to help the young women identify
who will support them in their actions, how
they can support one another, and how
they can position themselves within a social
movement to ensure that they act within safe
spaces. This can also be done using Creative
Play as the young women can imagine or‘dream’ what they would like to accomplish
and then they can draw or write their ideas.

If possible, have a local expert share theirexperiences and information in a way thatgrounds the topic locally and welcomes
questions from the young women.
Take a short break.
Introduce the related Human Rights andSDGs from the Topic for Discussion by using
the Guide’s The SDGs and Young Women’s
Leadership in Action and A Human RightsBased Approach to Young Women’s
Leadership as background information to
inform your activity. After a group discussion
then you can use Creative Play to help
explore human rights and the SDGs throughrole playing or drama. To discuss What are Her
Rights and the SDGs, you could have small
groups act out what those rights and goals
should look like in their communities.

CLOSING QUESTIONS and ANSWERS
Make sure to have time at the end of
the workshop to answer any questions.
Also remind the young women about theimportance of keeping all discussions private
in order to build a Safe Space for everyone.

3rd SESSION

Topics for Discussion
1

Child, Early and Forced Marriage(CEFM)

8

Violence Against Women and Girls(VAWG or Gender-Based Violence)2

Early and Unintended Pregnancy

9

Economic Justice and Gender
Equality3

HIV and AIDS

4

Sexual and Reproductive Health andRights (SRHR)

5

Peace, Security and Gender Equality

6

Climate Change and Gender Equality

7

Sex Trafficking

10 Gender Identify and Sexual
Orientation (LGBTIQ)

11 Bullying and cyberbullying
12 Menstruation
13 Faith, Feminism and Human Rights

CLOSING EVALUATION

To further understanding of a Human RightsBased Approach to the Topic for Discussion,refer to the Transformative Leadership Journey
Knowing Your Rights in Your Reality anduse those human rights-related questions toguide a group discussion. This can support a
discussion of the root causes of a problem
and can help identify who can play a role insolving the problem and what needs to be
done. If the group is large, divide the young
women into smaller groups. They can think
about their answers and then share theirideas with the larger group. You can also use
Creative Play to act out the positive resultsof knowing one’s rights and taking positive
action for change.

It is important to give the young women an
opportunity to let you know how they felt
about the workshop. Hand out the Participant
Evaluation Forms to everyone and collect thefilled forms. Thank all the young women andco-facilitators for their participation.

Remember… Take time after each

workshop to debrief with your cofacilitators by reviewing evaluations, sharing
experiences, discussing with the local Expert,
and analyzing what worked well and what
can be improved.

Take a short break between activities.

44

45

1

were forced to leave school), and live in rural
areas. But that doesn’t mean that girls in cities
or from homes that have more resources
are free from this threat. Also, girls in armed
conflict, fragile countries, or in areas affectedby a natural disaster or emergency are more
vulnerable, as are girls living in communities
where traditional customs relate virginity with‘family honor’.

Did you know
when a girl is married before she is 18 years
old, she is more likely to:Child, Early andForced Marriage
What is it and what can be done to stop it?
Millions of girls are forced into marriages before the age of 18 without giving theirconsent or having the choice to say ‘No’. The negative effects of early marriage are felt
throughout a girl’s and woman’s life. When a girl is forced to marry, her human rights
are violated.
Child marriage is any formal or informal union where one or both of the individuals areunder 18 years of age. Forced marriage occurs when one or both of the individuals
have not agreed or consented to the marriage.

nn Drop out of school or be forced to leaveschool.
nn Suffer sexual, physical, emotional, and/or
financial violence in the home from thehusband or other family members.

It is important to investigate this problem
in your community and country in order tounderstand who is most vulnerable to childmarriage (look at location, religion, age, inand out of school girls). Reaching out to girls
who are at risk of early marriage gives you
better information about the problem andoffers the girls an opportunity to challenge thisharmful practice. Young Women and girls canplay a critical role in eliminating CEFM.

nn Live away from her community,
sometimes in a different community, city,
province or region, which could lead toisolation, alienation, and depression.
nn Have limited employment opportunities
and less control over household money.
nn Become pregnant at a young age,which puts her at greater risk of dying or
becoming disabled due to dangerous
pregnancy and birth complications (forexample a high risk of fistula).

Why does it happen? There are manyfactors that contribute to a girl being a victim
of child, early and forced marriage:

nn Have a higher number of children over
her lifetime, which puts her health and life
at risk due to multiple pregnancies.

• This harmful practice is deeply rooted insocial attitudes that position women andgirls as less important, or less deserving offair and equal treatment, compared toboys and men. This gender discrimination
combines with age discrimination so thatgirls are particularly vulnerable to suchabuse.

nn Have less access to sexual andreproductive health information andservices.
nn Be more vulnerable to HIV transmission.

FACT FINDING
nn Every minute 28 girls are married. That’s 1 every 2 seconds.
http://www.girlsnotbrides.org/about-child-marriage

nn An estimated 15 million girls are married every year as child brides
before they reach 18. (UNICEF, 2014)
nn One in three girls in the developing world is estimated to be married
before the age of 18. (worldywca.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/SF-Fact-Sheet-2-Child marriage violates girls’
rights to health, education andopportunity. It exposes girls toviolence throughout their lives,
and traps them in a cycle ofpoverty.

• Some parents think that marrying theirdaughter will keep her safe and ensure
she does not become sexually active
outside of marriage. This is a way tocontrol a girl’s sexuality. However, parents
need to know that an early marriage canmean sexual violence and abuse that agirl has no control over.

Human-Rights.pdf)

http://www.girlsnotbrides.org/
about-child-marriage

Is CEFM a problem in your community or in your country?
Where can you find local information about this harmful practice? National UN offices,international and local NGOs, Ministry for Children, etc.

46

• Some parents hope that the husband’sfamily will provide better economic
opportunities such as paying the girl’s
school fees and living in less poverty, ora chance to live in the city for those whocome from rural areas.

Who is most vulnerable to CEFM? The

majority of girls married before 18 are poor,
under-educated (they may have nevergone to school; or they dropped out; or• Some parents hope that marrying thegirl will keep her in the home which
they believe will keep her safe from the47

that is carried out in the name of culture
or tradition. Cultural and traditional
practices that threaten a child’s healthand wellbeing must be stopped. Everychild’s Right to Health must be protected.

dangers of the men in their community
and the outside world.
• In many communities the traditional rolefor girls and women to adopt is that ofwife and mother. Girls are not supported
to believe that they can achieve otherlife goals, like finding a job or startinga business. Once a girl is married thepossibility of her getting a job or starting abusiness is less likely.

2. The International Covenant on Civil andPolitical Rights (ICCPR) says, “no marriage
shall be entered into without the free andfull consent of the intending spouses”.
What does that mean? Firstly, everyone
has the right to choose if, when and withwhom they will marry. Secondly, only
people over the age of 18 are legallyable to give consent (agree to dosomething), so a girl must be at least 18
years old in order to agree to marry.

• Child marriages are more common intimes of conflict, crises, or during a natural
disaster. Insecurity makes parents worried
about the safety of their daughters andthey see marriage as a solution (eventhough it can place girls in dangerous
and violent situations).

3. The Convention on the Elimination of all
Forms of Discrimination Against Women(CEDAW) states that women should havethe same right as men to “freely choose
a spouse and to enter into marriage onlywith their free and full consent”, and thatthe “betrothal and marriage of a childshall have no legal effect”.

• When a family is poor they may choose
to lessen their economic burden by
marrying off their daughter to have one
less mouth to feed. Also, when a bride
price is paid the family may see this as anincentive. Often other economic priorities,
for example her brother’s education, willtake precedence over a girl’s welfare.

4. In 2014 the United Nations General
Assembly adopted a resolution thatsays all States must “enact, enforce,and uphold laws and policies aimed atpreventing and ending child, early, andforced marriage and protecting thoseat risk, and to ensure that marriage isentered into only with the informed,
free and full consent of the intending
spouses.”6 What does that mean? The
government (police, judges, healthprofessionals, etc.) must act to put an
end to child marriage by making surelaws are followed, girls are protected,
and communities are informed of thedangers of early marriage.

• Giving a child in marriage is also a waythat some families resolve arguments,
repay a debt, or create an alliance. The
girl is treated as an object or commodity
to be traded.

What are your rights? Here are somehuman rights that clearly explain that CEFM
is wrong and against the rights of all girls andagainst international law:
1. The Convention on the Rights of the Child(CRC) says that governments must, “takeall effective and appropriate measureswith a view to abolishing traditional
practices prejudicial to the health ofchildren”. So what does that mean?
Early marriage puts the life of girls at risk
and it is considered a harmful practice6• Parents must be educated on this issue
and supported to respect the rights of
their daughters and to act in their bestinterest (ie. keeping girls in school).

Sustainable
Development Goals• Teachers can help identify girls who arevulnerable to child marriage. They canalso notify authorities when a girl leaves
school and doesn’t return.
• Health care workers can be trained to
identify cases of child marriage and cancounsel girls who are married and seeking
reproductive health care.

SDGs 5 = Achieve gender equality• Community leaders can educate thelocal population, identify vulnerable
families, and act to delay or prevent childmarriages and report the cases to thepolice and other concerned authorities.

and empower all women and girls.

Target 5.2 = Eliminate all harmful practices,such as child, early and forced marriage andfemale genital mutilation. What does thatmean? Your government has the responsibility
to prevent child marriage and FGM (ie.
through information campaigns), protect
girls from child marriage when it happens (ie.
police must free a girl from an illegal marriage
and make sure she is safe from repercussions),
and the police and courts must legally
respond so that the perpetrator is punished.

• Religious leaders can educate thepopulation, refuse to recognize childmarriages and report the cases to thepolice and other concerned authorities.
• Boys and men can speak out againstchild marriage, denounce their peers
for such marriages, and ensure that theirown marriages are unions between equal
partners.

Who can play a role inending child, early andforced marriage?

• Are there others?.....

• Young women and Girls, especiallymarried girls, who are offered Safe
Spaces to learn about their rights andgain self-confidence can be supported toseek support and/or protection to avoid,
delay, or reverse forced marriage.

What change
do I want to see?
Can I be a leader on
this topic?

• Police have the duty to investigate casesof child marriage and the Courts must act
to protect the rights of girls.

Can I create or
join a social movement?

• Local government representatives mustensure that there are programs andfinancing to raise awareness about CEFM,
eliminate CEFM, and protect the rights ofgirls.

UN General Assembly Resolution on Child Early and Forced Marriage, January 2015.
http://www.refworld.org/pdfid/54c7a1254.pdf

48

49

2

Here are some further questions to guide an Action Plan:
What can be done in your community?
Who can you reach out to for more information and support?
How can you speak out and raise awareness in your community?
Is there someone or an organization that you can partner with to help end
CEFM?
How can you make sure that people in positions of power, who have a
responsibility to end CEFM, act and uphold the human rights of girls?

Early and Unintended
Pregnancy
Why does it happen and what can be done to avoid
unintended pregnancies?
Girls can get pregnant and if they do not have family and community support andappropriate health care, they are vulnerable to disability and even death. Their healthand lives are threatened by pregnancy and complications during birth. Pregnancy
puts a girl’s future wellbeing, earnings and chance to get a good job at risk. Early
pregnancy has a high cost for her, her family and her community.

Note to Facilitator
Refer back to the Young Women’s Transformative Leadership
Journey, which includes discussions and learning about an issue
and its related human rights. Through the Journey work towards
identifying partners and planning actions, which include people
in positions of power and decision making, who have theresponsibility to uphold the rights of young women.

FACT FINDING
nn About 16 million girls aged 15 to 19 and some 1 million girls under 15 give birth every year –most in low and middle-income countries.
nn Complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the second cause of death for 15-19
year-old girls globally (for example, severe bleeding and infection during/after birth or anunsafe abortion, obstructed labour, and high blood pressure).
nn Every year, 3 million girls aged 15 to 19 undergo unsafe abortions.
nn Babies born to adolescent mothers face a substantially higher risk of dying than those born
to women aged 20 to 24. (WHO 2014)7 (for example due to low birth weight).

Is early and unintended pregnancy a problem in your community or in yourcountry?
Where can you find local information about this harmful practice? Local health clinics,
International and local NGOs, Ministry of Health, UN agencies like UNFPA and WHO.

750

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs364/en

51

Did you know

she wants to, and before she is physicallyready:

that when a girl becomes pregnant before
the age of 19, she is more likely to:nn Suffer health consequences becauseof obstructed labour, and a possible
disability like fistula.

• The practice of child, early, and forced
marriage puts adolescent girls at highrisk of pregnancy. Additionally there is anincreased risk of violence and forced sex
with early marriage, which results in higher
rates of sexually transmitted infections(STIs) and HIV.

nn Drop out of school or be forced to leaveschool, which makes it difficult to find agood job.

• Rape and high levels of coerced sex
leave girls with no control over sexual
activity and no way to avoid pregnancy.

nn Be more vulnerable to intimate partner
violence• Social norms or ideas that narrow girls’
life role to wife and mother and focus on
fertility (that only by having babies doesa girl become a woman), can createpressure to become pregnant and marryearly.

nn Die from birth complications or the effects
of unsafe abortions.

nn Be at higher risk of suicide.
nn Have a higher number of children over
her lifetime, which puts her health and life
at risk.

• Other social norms that accept violence
and male domination normalize sexual
violence and support expectations ofmale fertility (that a man is considered aman by impregnating girls or women).

Who is most vulnerable to earlypregnancies? Unintended pregnancies

are more common among girls who areunder-educated, poor and live in rural areas
where access to sexual and reproductive
information and contraceptives is lower. Girls
who have been forced into marriage have ahigher rate of early pregnancy as they havelittle ability to negotiate contraceptive use orwhen and if they will have sexual activity. Girls
who are survivors of sexual violence may end
up pregnant. Also, adolescents who decide
to become sexually active but do not know
about contraceptives or do not have accessto contraceptives, are at risk of becoming
pregnant.

• Very low levels of knowledge about
sex and family planning (lack ofavailable information on sexual andreproductive health) place girls at a highrisk of pregnancy, and keep them fromprotecting themselves from HIV and othersexually transmitted infections.
• Many governments have laws which
restrict access to sexual and reproductive
health care so that adolescents cannot
access it without their parents, guardian’sor spouse’s authorization (ie. a marriedpregnant girl could not visit the doctor
without her husband’s permission)

It is important to investigate the problem of
early pregnancies in the local and national
context in order to understand who is mostvulnerable to unintended pregnancies
and how they can be supported to avoid
pregnancy and deal with the consequencesof becoming a mother while still a child.

What are your rights? Here are somehuman rights laws and recommendations
that can protect young women and girls fromunintended and early pregnancy:

Why does it happen? There are manyfactors that contribute to an adolescent girlbecoming pregnant against her will, before

52

1. The Convention on the Rights of the Child(CRC) recognizes the right to the highest
attainable standard of health and thatadolescents have “evolving capacities”
regarding their sexual and reproductive
health, as they grow older. So what
does that mean? As girls grow older andmature, they can and should makedecisions for themselves, but they need
information in order to make informed
choices. The Committee on the Rightsof the Child recommends removing
all barriers to information and services
about sexual and reproductive health,so that adolescents can understandtheir sexuality and protect themselvesfrom pregnancy and sexually transmitted
infections, including HIV.

the prevention of sexually transmitted
diseases including HIV. What does thatmean? Talking about early pregnancy
is not just about ensuring information
and access to contraceptives, but
it is often a result of sexual coercion,rape, and other forms of violence andpressure that girls and young womenface. Gender discrimination and genderbased violence are widespread anddisempower girls and young women.

Sustainable
Development Goals

2. The CRC and other human rights bodies
request that States remove barriers,
which stop adolescents from receiving
sexual and reproductive information andservices, like third party and parental
consent. What does that mean? A girlhas the right to ask for family planning
information, contraceptive advice, HIV
testing, or other sexual and reproductive
health services without the permission ofher parents, guardians, or husband. She
has the right to make her own decisions
about her body.

SDGs 5 = Achieve gender equality
and empower all women and girls.
Target 5.2 = Eliminate all harmful practices,such as child, early and forced marriage andfemale genital mutilation.

3. The International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights (ICCPR) says that no
marriage shall be entered into without
the free and full consent of the intending
spouses. What does that mean? Firstly,
everyone has the right to choose if, when
and with whom they will marry and bothpeople must be 18 years of age or older.
Ending forced and early marriage cansignificantly reduce early and unintended
pregnancy.

Target 5.6 = Ensure universal access to sexualand reproductive health and reproductive
rights as agreed in accordance with theProgramme of Action of the International
Conference on Population and Development
and the Beijing Platform for Action andthe outcome documents of their review
conferences. . What does that mean?
Your government has the responsibility toprovide accessible sexual and reproductive
information and a full range of contraceptives
to prevent unintended pregnancies.
Your government must also prevent childmarriage and FGM (ie. through information
campaigns), protect girls from child marriage
when it happens (ie. police must free a girlfrom an illegal marriage and make sure she

4. The Committee on the Elimination of all
forms of Discrimination Against Women(CEDAW) emphasizes the importanceof health information for adolescentsthat includes, discussions on genderequality, gender-based violence, and53

is safe from repercussions), and the police
must legally respond so that the perpetrator ispunished.

• Teachers, where it is part of thecurriculum, must provide adolescentswith comprehensive (including all
the necessary information) sexuality
education to ensure that both girls
and boys understand their bodies,
the changes that puberty brings, andthe knowledge of how to prevent
pregnancies, sexually transmitted
infections, and HIV. This information
should also include discussions on genderequality and non-discrimination.

Who can play a role to ensuringthat no girl suffers an early
unintended pregnancy?
• Girls who are offered Safe Spaces tolearn about their sexual and reproductive
health and rights, have a better chanceof avoiding unwanted pregnancies andkeeping themselves sexually healthy andsafe. Supporting girls’ self-confidence
and autonomy, and expanding personal
networks can provide important
information and support for autonomous
decision-making.

• Religious and community leaders canspeak out against sexual violence andrape. They can encourage parents
to educate their children and ensurethat young people have access to thesexual and reproductive informationand services that will keep them safe.
They can also refuse to recognize childmarriage.

• Health care workers must understand andfulfill their obligation to provide evidencebased information that includes all
sexual and reproductive information andservices that adolescents need to makeinformed decisions about their bodies
and relationships, and to keep themselves
healthy and safe from infections andunintended pregnancies.

• Boys and men can speak out against
violence that is often a cause of earlypregnancies. They can denounce theirpeers for early marriages and ensure theirown marriages are unions between equal
adults. They can take responsibility for
their sexual decisions and practice safesex.

• Police have the duty to investigate casesof violence and sexual violence against
girls and also to investigate and ensure
prosecution of child marriage.

Here are some further questions to guide an Action Plan:
What can be done in your community?
Who can you reach out to for more information and support?
Is there someone or an organization that you can partner with to help support
girls to avoid unintended pregnancies?
How can you make sure that people in positions of power, who have a
responsibility to prevent early pregnancies, act and uphold the human rights ofgirls?

Note to Facilitator:
Refer back to the Young Women’s Transformative Leadership Journey, which includes
discussions and learning about an issue and its related human rights. Through the Journey
work towards identifying partners and planning actions, which include people in positionsof power and decision making, who have the responsibility to uphold the rights of young
women.

• Are there others?.....

• Local government representatives mustensure that there are programs andfinancing which support youth friendly
health services, with special attention
to girls’ sexual and reproductive healthneeds in the context of early marriage
and early pregnancy.

What change
do I want to see?
Can I be a leader on
this topic?

• Parents have an obligation to provide
their children with the information thatwill help them grow and keep themsafe throughout their development,
which includes sexual and reproductive
information. If they are not able to doso, then at least they should not place
any barriers to girls seeking sexual andreproductive health information andservices.

Can I create or
join a social movement?

54

55

Did you know

3

How HIV Impacts the Lives ofYoung Women and Girls:
How can we stop the spread of HIV and stand up to
discrimination and stigma?
Thinking and talking about HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS (Acquired
Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is an important part of being healthy. HIV is a sexuallytransmitted infection (STI) and is primarily transmitted through unprotected sex (sex without
a condom) or through blood (drug use through shared needles). HIV develops into thedisease AIDS. There are medications that help HIV+ people live long and productive
lives, but unfortunately there is no cure for AIDS. Whether you are HIV+ or not, the risk of
HIV transmission affects sexual and reproductive health, decisions, and practices.

FACT FINDING8
nn The majority (60%) of new HIV infections are among young women aged 15-24.
nn In Sub-Saharan Africa women acquire HIV 5-7 years earlier than men.
nn Young women aged 15-24 years old in Sub-Saharan Africa are twice as likely as young
men to be living with HIV.
nn HIV+ women are 10x more likely to experience violence and abuse than women who are
HIV-negative.
nn Some studies show that young women who experience intimate partner violence are
50% more likely to be HIV positive.

Is HIV a problem in your community or in your country? Where can you find local

information about HIV, AIDS, testing, medication, and counseling? (Ministry of Health and local
health clinics and hospitals, UNAIDS, International and local NGOs…)
8

UNAIDS, The Gap Report, 2014. http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/campaigns/2014/2014gapreport/gapreport
OHCHR, Information Series on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, 2015.
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Women/WRGS/Pages/HealthRights.aspx

56

Studies indicate that harmful
gender norms and practices,
cultural perceptions and beliefs
surrounding
pregnancyandchildbirth, and a distrust of healthcare services all can pose barriers
to HIV prevention and treatment. In
particular, women face difficulties
related to unequal gender power
relations and stigma.

nn Girls and young women have a higher
risk of HIV infection because of genderbased violence and other gender
discriminatory acts and attitudes (ie.
child, early and forced marriage andFemale Genital Mutilation (FGM)) that areharmful to their physical and emotional
wellbeing and also keep them fromseeking health services and testing.
nn Sexual coercion (being pressured tohave sex), abuse, exploitation, rapeand trafficking causes girls to be more
exposed to HIV and also results in manyother health problems like depression,
drug and alcohol abuse, and maternalmortality and suicide.

–(UNAIDS Reference Gender Matters:
Overcoming Gender-related Barriers
to Prevent New HIV Infections AmongChildren and Keep their Mothers Alive,
2014)

nn Fear of stigma and discrimination
is a major obstacle for seeking andreceiving testing and health care. Some
HIV+ girls and women fear violence orabandonment from family and partners,
or that a lack of privacy with test
results that will expose them to shameand ostracization in their community.
Discrimination and stigma can also resultin homelessness, loss a of job, or forced
sterilization.

highest rates of transmission) but althoughthat is the case, anyone who is sexually active
and not practicing safe sex, is vulnerable to
HIV transmission.
It is important to investigate HIV in the local
and national context in order to understand
who is most vulnerable to infection, stigma
and discrimination, and how they can be
involved in stopping the spread of HIV andensuring quality care for all.

nn Girls and young women take on a higher
burden of care for family members who
are HIV+ or sick with AIDS, often having
to drop out of school in order to care forothers.

What are your rights? Here are someof the human rights found in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, that are related
to living with HIV:Who is most vulnerable to HIV? Young

women and girls are particularly vulnerable
to HIV infection because of their lower social
status due to gender inequality and therelated high rates of violence and sexual
violence that they suffer. Also girls andwomen from marginalized groups including
indigenous peoples, migrants, refugees anddisplaced persons are more vulnerable tocontracting HIV. Additionally sex workers
and people who use injectable drugs, andtransgender people have higher rates ofinfection. It is important to note that somecountries or regions have higher HIV rates(Sub-Saharan Africa has thenn The Right to Health and Life includes HIV
prevention, treatment, care and support
that is both available and accessible (ie.
provided for free or at low cost). The Stateis also responsible for preventing, treating,and controlling epidemic diseases.
nn The Right to Privacy means that a person
must give their consent to be tested andthat any information related to their HIV
status must be kept confidential.
nn The Right to enjoy the benefits of scientificadvances relates to access to medicines,
57

Target 5.2 = Eliminate all harmful practices,such as child, early and forced marriage andfemale genital mutilation.

specifically anti-retroviral drugs, which areessential for the wellbeing and healthy lifeof someone living with HIV.
nn The Right to decide if, when and how
many children to have is relevant to HIV+women who are pregnant or may wish
to become pregnant. This right protects
women from forced sterilization andforced abortion.

Target 5.6 = Ensure universal access to sexualand reproductive health and reproductive
rights as agreed in accordance with theProgramme of Action of the International
Conference on Population and Development[ICPD] and the Beijing Platform for Action
and the outcome documents of their review
conferences. What does that mean? Yourgovernment has the responsibility to provide afull range of services that include preventing
HIV (ie. education, information and accessto condoms), caring for HIV+ people (ie. freeand private testing, providing anti-retroviral
medication) and ensuring that stigma anddiscrimination are not tolerated.

nn The Right to non-discrimination is ofparticular importance given the all too
common mistreatment and discriminationof HIV+ people by health workers andother service providers, community
members, work colleagues, and evenfamily members.

Sustainable
Development Goals

Who can play a role in preventing HIV
transmission and putting an end to stigma
and discrimination?
• Girls and Young Women who are HIV+and also who do not have HIV, need
Safe Spaces where they can learn about
HIV, available care, and their sexual andreproductive health and rights. Such aspace can support HIV+ girls and womenof all ages to seek testing and treatment
and strengthen their ability to challenge
unfair and discriminatory attitudes andactions.

SDGs 3 = Ensure healthy lives andpromote well-being for all at all ages.

• Health care workers’ first responsibility
is to provide the full array of sexual andreproductive information and services
to women, young women and girls in an
unbiased manner, which protects theirdignity and privacy. They must protect
the privacy of all patients. They can also
refer HIV+ people for counseling andsocial support.

Target 3.3 = By 2030, end the epidemicsof AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria andneglected tropical diseases and combat
hepatitis, water-borne diseases and othercommunicable diseases.

• Local government representatives mustensure that there are programs andfinancing to provide holistic HIV care, which
incorporates information campaigns forprevention, testing that reaches young
women and girls, youth friendly counseling,
access to medicines, and extended
community support systems to protect therights of women and girls.

SDGs 5 = Achieve gender equality
and empower all women and girls.
58• The State must ensure that there are nolaws which criminalize or discriminate
against people living with HIV, nor laws
which criminalize high risk behaviors (ie.
sex work and same sex relations). Similarly
any laws that require parental or spousal
consent inhibit testing and treatment. Anysuch laws are a barrier to testing and HIV
prevention and negatively affect the rightto equality and non-discrimination. Testing
must be made available to all.

Here are some further questions toguide an Action Plan:
What can be done in yourcommunity?
Who can you reach out to for more
information and support?
Is there someone or an organizationthat you can partner with to support
HIV+ women, particularly young
women and girls?

• Police must not criminalize behavior basedon HIV status. They also must respondto violence and threats of violence
experienced by HIV+ people. Relatedly,
harmful practices such as Child, Early andForced Marriage (CEFM), which area
against the law, must be investigated.

How can you make sure thatpeople in positions of power, whohave a responsibility to ensure
HIV prevention, testing, treatment
and care, focus on the particularconcerns and realities of young
women and girls?

• Teachers must provide sexual andreproductive health information that
includes HIV prevention, treatment andcare, and that is inclusive and evidence
based.
• Community and Religious leaders canpromote the dissemination of evidencebased sexual and reproductive information
related to HIV to the local population andencourage social acceptance and carefor those who are HIV+.

Note to Facilitator:
Refer back to the Young Women’s
Transformative Leadership Journey, which
includes discussions and learning about anissue and its related human rights. Through the
Journey work towards identifying partners andplanning actions, which include people inpositions of power and decision making, whohave the responsibility to uphold the rights ofyoung women.

• Men and boys can assume the role ofcaregiver when their wives or family
members are sick. They can also support
their partners to be tested and to live
positively with HIV. They can practice safesex.
• Are there others?.....

What change
do I want to see?
Can I be a leader on
this topic?
Can I create or
join a social movement?

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4

Sexual and Reproductive
Health and Rights:
What are they and how can I
protect and exercise my rights?
Your sexual and reproductive health is part of your overall health and wellbeing. The
more information and knowledge you have about how your body grows and functions,the more able you are of maintaining your sexual and reproductive health. When you
can decide when and with whom to have sex; if, when, and how often to have children;and how to protect yourself from unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted
infections such as HIV, then you are exercising your sexual and reproductive rights.
Everyone has different SRHR needs. Young women have different needs from young
men and face different obstacles in accessing their rights. Similarly, young people
from rural communities, diverse religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and withdifferent levels of education, have different levels of knowledge, needs, capacities
and resources in terms of accessing their sexual and reproductive rights. It’s importantto also note that young women who are pregnant or mothers, young people who livewith HIV, or who are sexually active or have experienced sexual and gender-based
violence will have different needs. However, regardless of their background, all young
people deserve to have their sexual and reproductive health rights realized!

A key aspect of sexual and reproductive health for young women is having access to healthservices that cater to the needs and realities of young women. Having somewhere to go for
information on contraceptive methods, having access to HIV testing that is confidential, andseeking health care for pre and post-natal services without the fear of discrimination andstigma, are all essential elements of making sexual and reproductive rights a reality.

young women’s health at greater risk are:the practice of female genital mutilation;transactional sex in exchange for favours; sex
trafficking; violence linked to pregnancy; andthe lack of ability to negotiate condoms.

Adolescents and young girls
who get pregnant tend to enter
into the vicious cycle of poverty
because early motherhood often
compromises their educational
attainment, economic potential
and their social well-being.

Everyone has the right to understand andmake their own decisions to keep their bodies
healthy, their relationships pleasurable, andtheir lives protected. It is everyone’s right asa human being to be treated with dignity
and respect. Sexual and reproductive healthand rights are a fundamental part of life andwithout them no young woman can enjoy thepresent or define her future.

www.astra.org.pl/pdf/publications/
Webready_Factsheet.pdf

Did you know

FACT FINDING

that anyone, especially women and girls,
can have their health needs ignored. Young
women and girls at greater risk of humanrights violations:nn 1 million people get a sexuallytransmitted infection every day.
http://www.unfpa.org/sexual-reproductivehealthnn Have a low level of educationnn 146 countries have sub-national or
customary laws allowing girls to be
married below the age of 18 with parental
consent.

nn Live in a low income family
nn Live with a disability

http://www.unfpa.org/human-rights#sthash.
UUDc3NLU.dpuf

nn Live with HIV/AIDS
nn Are migrants or refugees

nn 1 in 5 women is sexually abused as a girl.

nn Live in situations of conflict, natural
disasters or displacement

http://www.unfpa.org/gender-basedviolence

nn Do not conform to gender norms (arelesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex orquestioning).

nn Pregnancy and childbirth related deaths
are one of the leading causes of death of
15-19 year old girls.
http://www.savethechildren.org/atf/
cf/%7B9def2ebe-10ae-432c-9bd0df91d2eba74a%7D/ASRHR%20UPDATE%20
2014.PDF

The powerlessness
of women is a serious
health hazard.9

But information is not enough. Often, having sex is not by choice. Sexual abuse in the homeor outside (in schools, churches, work places, prisons, refugee camps) forces young womenand girls into having sex against their will and before they are ready. Unfortunately, young
women and girls are especially vulnerable to abuses such as child marriage, gender-based
violence, and rape. Other factors that are connected to gender discrimination and that put

9 Cook, Rebecca, Reproductive Health and Human Rights: Integrating Medicine, Ethics and Law, Oxford Press 2003

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• To seek, receive and impart information
related to sexuality and sexuality
education. What does that mean? You
may look for information, get informationand share information about sex andreproduction.

Cook, Rebecca, Reproductive Health and Human Rights:

In order to better understand how sexuality
and sex is accepted or not in your community, you can ask these questions:• Where can young women findinformation about sex and reproduction?

Sustainable
Development Goals

marriage; are supported to go to school
beyond primary; are treated with dignity
and equality within the home; andprovided with support to seek sexual andreproductive information and services.
• Health care workers must provide the fullrange of contraception and other sexualand reproductive health treatments
and services, such as HIV testing, withina youth-friendly environment thatrecognizes the unique needs of young
women and girls. Health workers can also
be trained to identify cases of domestic
and other gender-based violence andcan counsel young women and girls
to ensure that they are supported withhealthcare and other services.

• To have bodily integrity. What does thatmean? You can choose what you dowith your body and no one has the rightto touch or treat your body without yourpermission.

• Can a young woman (married or notmarried) go to a health clinic and ask forcontraception of HIV testing without theirparents’ or husband’s permission?

• To choose a partner and to be sexuallyactive or not.

• How are same-sex couples treated in yourcommunity?

• To have consensual sexual relations andenter into marriage with free and fullconsent. What does that mean? You canchoose who you marry and with whom
you have sex. Both of you must be inagreement to do so and both must give
their consent.

• How are people living with a disability
treated, especially regarding their sexualdesires and rights?
• How are people living with HIV or AIDS
treated?
• When a woman or girl is raped, how is
she treated by her family, community, or
police?

• To decide whether or not, and when, tohave children (the number and spacingof children).

It is important to investigate sexual andreproductive health and rights in your local
and national context in order to understand
who is most vulnerable to violations andhow they can be active in defending andexercising their rights.

• To pursue a satisfying, safe andpleasurable sexual life.

What is Consent? This is a very importantconcept because it relates closely to sexualand reproductive health and wellbeing.
Consent means that a person has given
permission or agreed to do something.
Consent to sexual relations means that aperson has agreed to have sex. A consensual
marriage means that both people haveagreed to marry. Consent cannot be forced
or coerced, nor can it be given by someone
who is younger than 18. Therefore, childmarriage is not legal because consent cannot
be given by an underage girl.

What are your rights? Here are somesexual and reproductive rights from the
Universal Declaration for Human Rights(UDHR) and the International Conference
on Population and Development’s (ICPD)
Programme of Action that are key to young
women’s wellbeing:• To have the highest attainable standardof sexual and reproductive health and tohave access to sexual and reproductive
health services What does that mean?
You have the right to services, medicines
and information that help you makeinformed decisions regarding your sexualand reproductive health.

SDGs 5 = Achieve gender equality
and empower all women and girls.

• Teachers can commit to teachcomprehensive sexuality educationthat ensures that all students have theinformation to make informed sexualand reproductive decisions. They canalso identify girls who are vulnerable toviolence and suspected cases of childmarriage.

Target 5.6 refers directly to international
agreements that identify gender equality,
non-discrimination and sexual andreproductive health and rights as essential
to human development. “Ensure universal
access to sexual and reproductive healthand reproductive rights as agreed inaccordance with the Programme of Action of
the International Conference on Population
and Development and the Beijing Platform for
Action and the outcome documents of theirreview conferences”.

• Police and the Courts have the duty
to stop gender-based violence, suchas child marriage or female genital
mutilation, or any other form of
discrimination. Police must investigate
cases, ensure protection, and work withother law enforcement to make surejustice is served.

What does this mean? Your government, atthe local and national level, must provide
accessible, affordable, and acceptable SRHR
services to all.

• Local government representatives mustensure that there are programs andfinancing to provide youth-friendly healthservices, especially sensitive to the sexualand reproductive health and needs ofyoung women and girls.

Who can play a role in ensuring that young
women and girls can enjoy their sexual andreproductive rights?

• Religious and Community leaders can
educate the local population on theimportance of sexual and reproductive
health. They can also speak out against
any form of violence against womenand girls, in particular child marriage
and female genital mutilation. They
can challenge religious teachings that
undermine the equality of women andmen.

• Girls and Young Women who are given
Safe Spaces to learn and ask questions
about their bodies and the choices
they can make about their sexual andreproductive health and rights, can gain
the self-confidence and knowledge thathelps them stay healthy, happy and safe.
• Families can ensure that girls and young
women are not forced into relationships/

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5
What change
do I want to see?

• Boys and men can talk openly with theirpartners about safe sex and support theirpartners to seek information and services
at health centers. They can also speakout against domestic and other violence,and the negative effects it has one
young women’s health.

Can I be a leader on
this topic?
Can I create or
join a social movement?

• Are there others?.....

Here are some further questions to guide an Action Plan:
What can be done in your community to improve access to sexual andreproductive information and services?
Who can you reach out to for more information and support?
Is there someone or an organization that you can partner with to help young
women and girls access the sexual and reproductive information they want?
How can you make sure that people in positions of power, who have a
responsibility to ensure that women, young women and girls have access tosexual and reproductive information and services, act and uphold the humanrights of young women and girls?

Note to Facilitator:
Refer back to the Young Women’s Transformative Leadership
Journey, which includes discussions and learning about an issue
and its related human rights. Through the Journey work towards
identifying partners and planning actions, which include people
in positions of power and decision making, who have theresponsibility to uphold the rights of young women.

64

Peace, Security andGender Equality
How can we ensure safe, peaceful and equitablecommunities and countries?
While entire communities and national populations suffer because of war and armed
conflict, the safety and welfare of women, young women and girls is often put atgreater risk because of gender discrimination and their lower status in society. Womenin conflict are doubly discriminated against, first as they face horrendous crimes suchas rape, sexual slavery and forced pregnancy, and then after the conflict as they are
excluded from peace talks and post-conflict reconstruction. Armed parties use sexual
violence as a form of terror and intimidation. Such gross violations of human rights leads
to immense human suffering and high numbers of displaced people, the majority ofwhom are women and children, in search of safety and survival. Young women andgirls are particularly vulnerable to abuses including sexual violence and child marriage
when they are refugees.
YWCAs support and help implement the United Nations Security Council Resolution
1325, which is about women, peace, and security. It has four main areas: prevention,
participation, protection, and peace building and recovery. YWCAs around the worldbuild young women’s leadership, as part of the solution for peace, justice, equality
and the respect of human rights. Young women and girls need safe spaces where they
can learn about how to engage in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and help
build a just and lasting peace. It is important that women, young women and girls inconflict and post-conflict countries, participate and have their voices heard in peace
negotiations and post-conflict rebuilding and restitution. Young women’s meaningful
and active participation is key to lasting peace. Ending impunity and prosecuting
those responsible for war crimes, so that women receive justice and future crimes are
deterred, is as important as looking for means of reconciliation, reparations and acommunal search for truth to build a sustainable peace. A truly sustainable peace will
only be achieved where gender equality and justice prevail.

65

sustaining peace and sustainable development?

FACT FINDING
nn Women and children make up the
majority of displaced and refugee
populations.

Women’s engagement and the involvement of young people from the earlier
stages of prevention, resolving crises, peace building and consolidating peace,
reduces the probability of relapses to violent conflict. Often, the contributions
and roles of young people and women are undervalued, under-resourced
and relegated. Consequently, their longer-term and meaningful engagementin political, social and economic recovery, and in inclusive governance andsecurity, often lacks adequate support.

http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/peace-and-security#sthash.6eiY0awe.dpuf

nn The presence of women police officers
correlates positively with reporting of
sexual assault. Yet on average womenmake up only 10 % of police forces.
nn Fewer than 3 % of signatories to peaceagreements are women and women
still represent less than 10 per cent ofnegotiators at peace tables.

President of the General Assembly’s program notes for High Level Dialogue on
Building Peace for All, New York, Jan 24th, 2017

nn Only 3 % of the military in UN missions are
women, and the majority of these are
employed as support staff.
http://wps.unwomen.org/~/media/files/
un%20women/wps/highlights/unw-globalstudy-1325-2015.pdf

What are your rights? Here are some international guiding principles and human rights thatare related to creating and maintaining peace and security:

Who is most vulnerable in times of conflict
and war?
• Women and children, especially young
women and girls, elderly women, women
living with disabilities.

It is important to investigate conflicts inthe local and national context in order tounderstand who is most vulnerable to humanrights violations, and how they can be
involved in sustaining peace and preventing
conflict. You can ask some of these questions:• Women from linguistic, ethnic, religious
minorities.

Women’s
participation
andinclusion makes humanitarianassistancemore
effective,
strengthens the protection effortsof our peacekeepers, contributes
to the conclusion of peacetalks and the achievement ofsustainable peace, accelerates
economic recovery, and helps
counter violent extremism.

• What is the current level of participationof young women in sustaining peace andsustainable development efforts at the
local, national and regional levels?
• What challenges do young women faceand how can their participation in these
activities be better appreciated andenhanced?
• How can young women’s participation
help achieve sustainable peace anddevelopment at the local, national andregional levels?

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka• What further action is required from theUnited Nations, governments and otherintergovernmental organizations andNGOs to grow the capacity of young
women to serve as active agents of

Executive Director UNWomen

66

nn There are 5 related UN Security Council
Resolutions, 1820 (2009), 1888 (2009), 1960
(2010), 2106 (2013), and 2282 (2016) allof which further strengthen the argument
for meaningful participation of womenin peace building and a recognition of
the violence women, young women, andgirls experience in conflict. Some of theemphasised issues are: the recognition,
prevention and punishment of sexual
violence; women’s active roles as leadersin peacemaking and conflict prevention;
the need to end women’s exclusion frompeace-building and the lack of attention
to women’s needs in post-conflict
recovery; and women’s increased rolein post-conflict reconstruction including
judicial and security reforms.

nn The UN Security Council’s Resolution 1325
on women, peace and security, calls for
women to participate in peace building,
be better protected from human rights
violations, and have access to justice andservices to eliminate discrimination. http://
www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/peaceand-security#sthash.KLWO3vdd.dpuf

nn The Geneva Convention and theProtection of Civilian Persons in Timeof War (1949) states that women shallbe protected against humiliating anddegrading treatment, rape, enforced
prostitution and any form of indecent
assault.
nn Beijing Platform for Action calls for
integrating a gender perspective forresolving conflicts through an increasein the participation of women in conflict
resolution, and in the protection of
women living in situations of armed
conflict.

67

The Sustainable
Development Goals

Here are some further questions to guide an Action Plan:
What are the negative effects of conflict in your community and who is mostaffected?
What can be done in your community to reduce or stop conflict?
Who can you reach out to for more information and support?
Is there someone or an organization that you can partner with to respond topeace building and conflict reduction?

SDG 17 = Promote peaceful and inclusive• Governments have the responsibility ofensuring equal participation of women inefforts for the prevention and resolutionof conflicts, and the maintenance andpromotion of peace.

societies for sustainable development,
provide access to justice for all and build
effective, accountable and inclusive
institutions at all levels. This goal includes
targets on violence against children, sexual
violence, and trafficking.

• International NGOs in peace andreconstruction can ensure that they havean equal number of female participantsin all aspects of their programming,from early assessments and problem
identification to engaging in dialogue
and implementing projects.

This goal also identifies how all actors “canadvance sustainable development, humanrights and collective peace and security
in today’s complex and interconnectedworld… [recognizing that] sustainable peace
could only be achieved when all segmentsof society are empowered and included”• Local and religious leaders can include
women, young women and girls in any
community-led discussions and decisionmaking regarding peace building,reconciliation, and reconstruction.

(web site of the General Assembly of the UN)
http://www.un.org/pga/71/event-latest/buildingsustainable-peace-for-all-synergies-between-the2030-agenda-for-sustainable-development-andsustaining-peace/#)

How can you make sure that people in positions of power, who have a
responsibility to ensure peace and avoid conflict, focus on the particularconcerns and realities of young women and girls?

Note to Facilitator:
Refer back to the Young Women’s Transformative Leadership Journey, which includes
discussions and learning about an issue and its related human rights. Through the
Journey work towards identifying partners and planning actions, which include people inpositions of power and decision making, who have the responsibility to uphold the rightsof young women.

• Are there others?.....

Who can play a role in ensuring theparticipation of women, young women andgirls in preventing conflict and creating andmaintaining peace?

What change
do I want to see?
Can I be a leader on
this topic?

• Refugee, displaced and migrant
women, young women and girls can besupported to be involved so that they
participate in and influence decisionmaking to prevent and resolve conflicts
and to contribute to sustainable peace.

Can I create or
join a social movement?

http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/peace-and-security#sthash.6eiY0awe.dpuf

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water collectors in the region are womenand girls, and in just one day womencollectively spend an estimated 16 million
hours fetching water - See more at:

6

Climate Justice andGender Equality
What is it, what’s happening and how can we
respond to climate change?
Climate change is understood as a significant difference in the usual weather patterns
over an extended period of time. This can be felt on a local level (for example more orless rain leading to floods or drought) and at the global level (rising global temperaturesor rising sea level). Changes in weather patterns generate unpredictable weather andenvironmental repercussions, which are often destructive and dangerous, especiallyfor women, young women and girls.
Gender inequality magnifies the consequences of climate change in both rich andpoor countries. As women make up the majority of poor people, they have fewer
resources to respond to the negative effects of climate change. The effects in the
short-term, through natural disasters such as landslides, floods and hurricanes and in
the long-term, through more gradual environmental destruction like rising sea level ordeforestation, put the welfare and survival of women and their families at risk. These
events impact many important areas of life including agriculture and food security;
biodiversity and ecosystems; water resources; human health; and human settlements
and migration patterns. Women’s capacity to cope with these changes is limited byeconomic, political and social barriers. (YWCA Envision 2030)

food production, food security, cooking
and heating, clean water collection,family health, income generation andmanagement of livestock and natural
resources, but they are too often left
out of local and national planning andprogramming.

http://beijing20.unwomen.org/en/in-focus/
environment#sthash.2E67d2YJ.dpuf

nn Women produce 60-80% of the food indeveloping countries, while owning lessthan 2% of the land.

nn Too often when talking about climatechange, women of all ages are only
labeled as vulnerable and not seen tohave relevant knowledge and expertisefor leadership. Women are often
excluded from decision-making processes
and not listened to when planningclimate responses and adaptations.

http://www.unfoundation.org/what-we-do/
campaigns-and-initiatives/universal-accessproject/briefing-cards-srhr.pdf

nn As consumers, entrepreneurs, farmers,
caregivers, and so much more, women
play a crucial role in both preventing
climate change and adapting to its
dire consequences. They constitute themajority of the climate change refugees
and often live on the most vulnerable
lands, but women are also the everyday
innovators who find solutions and deal
with the changed reality for people andplanet. (Women Deliver)

nn When food becomes less available,
harvests more unpredictable and foodprices rise, there is a greater burden
placed on women to ensure the healthand survival of their families.
nn When fuel sources (ie. firewood) are moredifficult to find, women and girls musttravel further, which takes more of theirtime and also puts them at higher risk ofharassment and sexual violence.

http://womendeliver.org

nn When people are displaced from theirhomes because of climate change,
women, young women and girls are all at
greater risk of sexual violence, includingchild, early and forced marriage.

The gender inequalities thatdefine [women’s] lives prior to adisaster, are really what put themat such greatly increased risk
after a disaster.

Who is most vulnerable to the effects ofclimate change? Poor and disempowered

people living in rural areas, especially womenand girls who rely on natural resources fortheir income and wellbeing, are the mostvulnerable. Furthermore, indigenous women
and women living in coastal areas, regions
suffering drought, and on peripheral land thatis vulnerable to landslides or flooding are more
vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Kavita Ramdas,
Global Fund for Women

FACT FINDING
nn During natural disasters, women and children are 14 times more likely to die than men.
https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/climateconnections_1_overview.pdf

nn Women and girls also bear the main burden of water collection in developing countries.
In fact, an analysis of 25 countries in sub-Saharan Africa revealed that 71 per cent of the70

It is important to investigate climate change
in the local and national context in order tounderstand who is most vulnerable to theseenvironmental effects, and how they canbe involved in preventing, adapting andresponding to climate change.

Did you know:
nn Women are often the best informed
about how to adapt and prepare forclimate change because of their work in71

Sustainable
Development Goals

What are her Rights? Here are someinternational guiding principles and humanrights that are related to addressing climatechange:nn The United Nations Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the mostrecent Paris Convention (2016) are global
agreements between governments
to commit to reducing emissions ofgreenhouse gases (like carbon dioxide)
and keeping global temperatures below
2 degrees C.

Governments both at the national and local
levels have the responsibility to ensure:

Here are some further questions
to guide an Action Plan:• Inclusive consultations that consider
and include rural women’s experiencesand expertise and indigenous women’s
knowledge and traditional practices, inplans and programs.

What are the negative effects
of climate change in yourcommunity and who is mostaffected?

• Financial and other support for civilsociety networks collaborating on risk
reduction, preparedness, response, andpost-disaster work.

nn In the Beijing Platform for Action, one of
the critical areas for action is Womenand the Environment, which emphasizes
the importance of women’s active
involvement in environmental decisionmaking at all levels, integrating women’s
concerns and perspectives in policies
and programs and establishing ways toassess the impact of development andenvironmental policies on women.

SDG 13 = Recognizes that urgent action tocombat climate change and its impacts inneeded.

It has a target (13b) that specifically promotes
mechanisms for raising capacity for effective
climate change-related planning andmanagement in least developed countries,
including focusing on women, youth, local
and marginalized communities. What doesthat mean? Governments must include young
women in the development of programs
and projects to lessen the impact of climatechange and to better identify strategies forliving with environmental insecurity.

nn The Declaration on the Rights ofIndigenous Peoples ensures the right ofindigenous communities to determineand develop strategies for the use oflands, territories and resources. What
does this mean? Indigenous people, with
their expertise and experience in natural
resource management, have the right tomake decisions about their land, related
to responding and adapting to climatechange.

Who can play a role in risk reduction
and responding to climate change?
Everyone has a role to play in mitigating andresponding to the effects of climate change.
Civil society as individuals, groups andnetworks can coordinate actions to demand
inclusive discussions to identify challenges andrelated solutions to the negative effects ofclimate change. Civil society can hold theirgovernments accountable and challenge
governments and private companies ifthey are responsible for environmental
degradation.

nn The UN Declaration on the Right toDevelopment underlines the importanceof popular participation in all areas ofdevelopment in order to realize all humanrights, and requires states to ensure theactive participation of women. What
does this mean? Women, young womenand girls have the right to contribute toclimate change discussions, assessments,
the creation of programs and projects,
and the implementation and assessmentof such projects.

72

What can be done in yourcommunity?

• Women have leadership positions thathave an effect on national, local andcommunity level responses to natural
disasters and post-disaster response.

Who can you reach out to for
more information and support?

• Young women and girls can contributeto community planning and awarenessraising.

Is there someone or an
organization that you can partnerwith to respond to climate
challenges?

You can find more information on gender andclimate change from the following web sites:

How can you make sure thatpeople in positions of power, whohave a responsibility to prepare forand respond to climate change,
focus on the particular concerns
and realities of young women andgirls?

Women’s Environment and Development
Organization: www.wedo.org
Global Gender and Climate Alliance:
www.gender-climate.org

Gender and Disaster Network:www.gdnonline.org

Note to Facilitator:

What change
do I want to see?

Refer back to the Young Women’s
Transformative Leadership Journey, which
includes discussions and learning about anissue and its related human rights. Through the
Journey work towards identifying partners andplanning actions, which include people inpositions of power and decision making, whohave the responsibility to uphold the rights ofyoung women.

Can I be a leader on
this topic?
Can I create or
join a social movement?

73

Did you know

7

It is important to investigate the problem
on sex trafficking in the local and national
context in order to understand who is mostvulnerable to trafficking and how can they
be involved in eliminating trafficking.

that when a girl is trafficked she may:nn Suffer degrading and brutal treatment(rape, beatings, starvation, confinement)

Sex Trafficking:nn Be forced to take drugs
nn Undergo forced abortions or sterilization

What is it and what can be done to stop it?
Sex trafficking is a growing industry and an ever-increasing threat to young womenand girls. Sex trafficking includes the recruitment, transport, sale or purchase of humanbeings for the purpose of prostitution, pornography, stripping, live sex shows, sex tourism,or forced marriage. The majority of victims of trafficking are girls and young women
who have been tricked, deceived, intimidated or forced into sex work. People who
traffic others are criminals who take advantage of desperate or uninformed people.
Trafficking is a global problem that is closely linked with organized crime.

What are your rights?

nn Suffer unwanted or forced pregnancy

Here are some human rights instruments
related to the prevention and punishment ofsex trafficking:nn Be forced into marriage
nn Suffer threats of violence to herself andher family

nn The United Nations Protocol to Prevent,
Suppress and Punish Trafficking in
Persons, Especially Women and Children(2000) supplements the United Nations
Convention Against Transnational
Organized Crime and addresses humantrafficking as a crime. It aims to preventand combat trafficking in persons; toprotect and assist victims of trafficking,and to promote cooperation among
governments in order to meet theseobjectives.

nn Be threatened with exposure of her
circumstances to her family
nn Suffer health problems and injuries suchas broken bones, bruises and burns
nn Become addicted to alcohol or drugs
nn Become infected with HIV and othersexually transmitted infections
nn Suffer mental health problems because ofpsychological stresswww.unodc.org/unodc/en/humantrafficking/faqs.html#Who_are_the_victims_
and_culprits_of_human_trafficking

nn Attempt suicide

FACT FINDING
nn Worldwide, almost 20% of all trafficking victims are children.
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/global-report-on-trafficking-inpersons.html

nn An estimated 5.5 million children are trafficked every year.
https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/infographic-global-human-trafficking-statistics

nn $32 billion of profit is generated by human trafficking per year.
nn Between 500,000 to 2 million people are trafficked annually into situations
including prostitution, forced labour, slavery or servitude, according toestimates. Women and girls account for about 80 per cent of the detectedvictims.
UN WOMEN: http://www.un.org/en/events/endviolenceday/pdf/UNiTE_TheSituation_
EN.pdfnn Women and girls make up 98% of victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation.
http://www.equalitynow.org/traffickingFAQ

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www.unodc.org/unodc/en/humantrafficking/index.html?ref=menuside

Who is most vulnerable to sex
trafficking?

nn The Convention on the Elimination of all
Forms of Discrimination Against Women(CEDAW) recognizes the bias against
women as victims and identifies trafficking
as a form of gender-based violence.
CEDAW calls on all countries to takeappropriate measures against all forms of
trafficking in and exploitation of women
through prostitution.

The majority of victims of trafficking are
women, young women and girls living
in poverty. Children are also particularly
targeted. Young women and girls who do
not have a high level of education are more
susceptible to trafficking. Women and girls
in armed conflict, fragile countries, or inareas affected by a natural disaster or an
emergency are more vulnerable. Also those
who are excluded from the mainstream
cultural and social networks, or marginalizedby society, are most vulnerable to trafficking.
Wide spread gender inequality which places
women of all ages at a disadvantage
socially, politically and economically, creates
vulnerability to trafficking.

nn There are many human rights which relate
to trafficking, some of which are: the Rightnot to be submitted to slavery, servitude,
forced labour, or bonded labour; theRight not to be subjected to torture and/or cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment
or punishment; and the Right to be freefrom gendered violence. Of particularimportance is the Right of children to75

special protection.
Young women need education,
vocational and employment
opportunities that can be provided
by schools, training centers and othersupportive government programs.

nn The Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women(Article 6) and the Convention on the
Rights of the Child (Article 35) referdirectly to trafficking.

• Governments and civil society can
support educational campaigns to raiseawareness of possible victims and tocall on the community to intervene if
trafficking situations arise.

Sustainable
Development Goals

societies for sustainable development,
provide access to justice for all and build
effective, accountable and inclusive
institutions at all levels.

What can be done in your community?
Who can you reach out to for more information and support?
Is there someone or an organization that you can partner with to help stoptrafficking?

• Teachers and Health workers can betrained to identify girls and young womenat risk of trafficking.

How can you make sure that people in positions of power, who have a responsibility
to end trafficking, act and uphold the human rights of girls and young women?

• Parents can keep their girls in school andsupport their education. Parents must also
ensure that their children are not directly
sold into slavery. Also, young women
who have been trafficked need to be
accepted and taken care of by theirfamilies.

Note to Facilitator:• Religious and Community leaders can
educate the population on the dangers
of trafficking and the need to care forand not judge victims of trafficking.

SDG 16 = Promote peaceful and inclusive

Here are some further questions to guide an Action Plan:

Refer back to the Young Women’s Transformative Leadership Journey, which includes
discussions and learning about an issue and its related human rights. Through the Journey
work towards identifying partners and planning actions, which include people in positionsof power and decision making, who have the responsibility to uphold the rights of young
women.

• Boys and men can speak out against
trafficking.
• Are there others?.....

Target 16.2 = End abuse, exploitation,
trafficking and all forms of violence against
and torture of children.

What change
do I want to see?

What does this mean? Your government must
protect all people from being trafficked andprovide support and legal action for trafficked
people, especially for children.

Can I be a leader on
this topic?

Who can play a role in stopping sex
trafficking?

Can I create or
join a social movement?

• Young women and girls who have a
Safe Space where they can share theirexperiences, learn about the dangers
of trafficking and how to avoid it, andcan become empowered advocates forother girls in danger of trafficking.

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77

What types of actions are considered
Violence Against Women and Girls?

8

The effect of violence on thephysical and mental integrityof women is to deprive themthe equal enjoyment, exercise
and knowledge of human rights
and fundamental freedoms…
the underlying consequencesof these forms of gender-based
violencehelp
tomaintain
women in subordinate roles andcontribute to the low level ofpolitical participation and to theirlower level of education, skills
and work opportunities.

There are many different forms that violencetakes. Here are some examples:

Violence Against
Women and Girls:
What is it and what can be done to stop it?
Women and girls of all ages face violence in their lives, and around the world it is
at epidemic proportions. Be it physical, emotional or psychological, violence against
women and girls is a form of gender discrimination; it is common and too likely to go
unpunished.
What is VAWG? The United Nation’s Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against
Women defines it as any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to resultin, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats ofsuch acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or
private life. What does that mean? Violence against women and girls is an act of gender
discrimination against women and girls because they are female. It creates harm andsuffering that may be physical but can also be emotional from threats of violence orverbal abuse. This extreme form of gender discrimination is a result of the use of power
and force to control women’s lives and bodies. Violence can happen at home, work,school or in public places. Wherever it occurs, violence against women and girls isnever ok; it is against women’s dignity and human rights.

• Early/forced/child marriage, female
genital mutilation and other harmful
traditional practices; physical (slapping,hitting, burning, beating, kicking), sexual(rape and forced sexual contact, forced
sterilization) and psychological abuse(yelling, threatening, name-calling, insults);
intimate partner or domestic violence;marital rape; isolation (being kept fromseeing or talking to others or not allowed
to go out); witchcraft and dowry abuse
and murders; incest; child prostitution andpornography; economic violence (notallowed to have a job, no control overfinances); dating violence (rape, acidthrowing); sexual abuse and harassmentin the workplace or at school; trafficking
in women and girls; forced pregnancy;
threats and abuse on social media…

General Recommendation 19,
CEDAW.
I

Did you know

Who is most vulnerable to Violence?

that a young woman who experiences
violence is more likely to:

Any woman or girl at any age can become
a victim of violence. However, women andgirls who are more vulnerable to other humanrights abuses have an even higher probabilityof experiencing violence in their lifetime:nn have unintended pregnancies andunsafe abortions.
nn have a higher risk of HIV infection andother sexually transmitted infections.

• Having low educationnn have a miscarriage, stillbirth, or low birthweight babies.

• Living with HIV/AIDS• Living with a disability• Being forced to marry as a child or youngwoman

nn suffer physical injuries that may include
headaches, back pain, abdominal pain,
limited mobility and poor overall health

FACT FINDING
nn 1 in 3 women 15-49 experience physical and /or sexual violence intheir life-time (picture)
nn 30% of girls aged 15-19 experience violence by a partner. (May 2016)
www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs345/en

nn 1 in 5 women is sexually abused as a girlwww.unfpa.org/gender-based-violence• Being a migrant or refugee

nn suffer mental health problems such as
depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, eating
disorders, and higher rates of suicide.

• Living in situations of conflict, natural
disasters and displacement• Exposure to violence between parents
when youngnn suffer isolation, inability to work, loss ofwages, lack of participation in regular
activities and limited ability to care forthemselves and their children.

• Not conforming to gender norms(lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex,
questioning)

nn and particularly for girls, violence canlead to increased smoking, drug andalcohol misuse.
78

79

longer have their social support network,and protective laws and customs will
not be enforced. Also, violence in many
forms, including rape, can be used as aweapon of war.

It is important to investigate Violence Against
Women and Girls in your local and national
context in order to understand who is mostvulnerable to violence. There are also specificforms of violence that may be more common
in your community.

• Harmful practices, that are said to be
cultural or traditional, ignore the rights ofwomen and girls and are dangerous totheir health and wellbeing (for example,
child, early, and forced marriage andfemale genital mutilation).

Why does it happen?
There are many factors that contribute to
the widespread problem of violence against
women and girls:

What are your rights?

• Violence against women and girls is
deeply rooted in social attitudes that
position women and girls as less importantor less deserving of fair and equal
treatment compared to boys and men.
Gender inequality and discrimination isa cause and a result of violence against
women and girls. When women andgirls do not have equal power in theircommunities or relationships, their risk ofviolence increases and their ability to findsupport to stop it is limited. At the sametime violence against women and girls
reinforces women’s low status compared
to men.

Here are some human rights that clearly
explain that Violence Against Women andGirls is wrong and against international law:nn The Committee on the Rights of the Childand the Committee on the Elimination ofDiscrimination Against Women clarify that
all States must, “ensure that private actors
do not engage in discrimination against
women and girls, including gender-based
violence” and that governments must“prevent, investigate, punish and ensure
redress” So what does that mean? Firstly,
governments have a responsibility toprevent or stop violence from happening
which includes transforming social orcultural ideas that disempower womenand girls and perpetuate acceptanceof violence. Governments also haveto ensure that the police and courts
respond to cases of violence by listening
to women and girls, taking the cases
seriously and finding and punishing those
who have perpetrated the crime. Finally,
those who have suffered violence havethe right to appropriate and acceptable
health care and to be compensated.

• In many communities there is widespread
acceptance of violence. A cultureof acceptance can justify or excuse
violence. Gender inequality affects
society’s response to violence by ignoring
or belittling the effects of violence on the
lives of women and girls.
• There is a culture of silence aroundviolence and abuse. Those suffering
violence often will not tell anyone for fearof more violence or of being shamed andblamed. Silence is particularly common
when children are in violent situations.

nn The Universal Declaration of Human
Rights (UDHR) states that no one shouldbe “subjected to torture, or other cruel,inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment”. What does that mean? No
one is allowed to harm you and cause you
pain, or treat and punish you in a way thatyour dignity and wellbeing is negatively
affected. Women and girls, because ofgender discrimination, are particularly• There is a high level of impunity in casesof violence. Even if there are nationallaws, these laws may be misunderstoodor ignored and the result is that those who
commit the crime of violence may neverbe punished.
• In situations of conflict and emergencies
violence against women and girls rises.
They may be separated from family, no80

to prevent child marriage and FGM (ie.
through information campaigns), protect
girls from child marriage when it happens (ie.
police must free a girl from an illegal marriage
and make sure she is safe from repercussions),
and the police must legally respond so thatthe perpetrator is punished.

vulnerable to such mistreatment.
nn The Plan of Action that came outof the International Conference on
Population and Development (ICPD)
commits States to “take full measures toeliminate all forms of exploitation, abuse,harassment and violence against women,adolescents, and children”. What doesthat mean? Violence against women andgirls as a form of gender discriminationmust be stopped in order for women andgirls to enjoy their full range of humanrights and to live free from fear.

Who can play a role in eliminating
violence against women and girls?
• Girls and Women who are given Safe
Spaces to learn about their rights andgain self-confidence can be supported toseek support, protection and justice.

nn Other human rights that protect womenand girls from violence are your: Right toLife, Right to Equality, Right to Health, andthe Right to be free from Discrimination.

• Police and the Courts have the duty tostop gender-based violence when it isbrought to their attention, to investigate
cases, ensure protection, and work withother law enforcement to make surejustice is served.

nn Most countries have national laws toprevent violence against women andgirls. It is important to identify local
laws which criminalize violence, tounderstand to what extent these laws are
implemented, and to discover if theselaws support girls and women who suffer
violence.

• Local government representatives
must ensure that there are programs
and financing to eliminate all formsof violence against women and girls,
especially the deeply rooted beliefs ofgender inequality, which places womenand girls at a disadvantage.

Sustainable
Development Goals• Families must be educated on this issue
and supported to respect the rights ofwomen and girls and to ensure that home
is a safe place for girls and women.
• Teachers can identify girls who arevulnerable to violence. They can also
notify authorities when they suspectviolence and abuse.
• Health care workers can be trained to
identify cases of domestic and othergender-based violence and can counsel
women and girls to ensure that they aresupported with healthcare and otherservices.

SDGs 5 = Achieve gender equality and• Community leaders can educate thelocal population and speak out against
any forms of violence against womenand girls.

empower all women and girls.

Target 5.2 = Eliminate all harmful practices,such as child, early and forced marriage andfemale genital mutilation. What does thatmean? Your government has the responsibility• Religious leaders can educate thepopulation and condemn all forms

819

What change
do I want to see?

of violence against women and girls.
They can also challenge any religious
teachings that undermine the equality ofwomen and men.

Can I be a leader on
this topic?

• Boys and men can speak out against
domestic and other violence, and ensurethat their own relationships are based on
respect and equality.

Can I create or
join a social movement?

• Are there others?.....

Economic Justice andGender Equality:
What is it and how can we combat
economic injustice?
Investing in young women’s economic empowerment is crucial for gender equality,
women’s rights, poverty eradication and achieving an inclusive economic growth forall. However, in most labour markets, women and young women continue to participate
on an unequal basis with men. Their skills are often unrecognized and undervalued.

Here are some further questions to guide an Action Plan:
What can be done in your community?
Who can you reach out to for more information and support?

When women do get a job, they are paid less than men. The wage gap (the difference
between what a woman and a man get paid for the same or similar work) discriminates
against women, and this discrimination is present in every country in the world. Added
to the injustice of unequal pay are the unequal opportunities. In times of economiccrisis, women are the first fired and the last hired, the first to see decreased wages
and in addition, are often excluded from organized labour (ie. labour unions, worker’s
groups).10

Is there someone or an organization that you can partner with to help end
violence against women and girls?
How can you make sure that people in positions of power, who have a
responsibility to end gender-based violence, act and uphold the human rights
of women and girls?

Note to Facilitator:
Refer back to the Young Women’s Transformative Leadership Journey, which
includes discussions and learning about an issue and its related human rights.
Through the Journey work towards identifying partners and planning actions,which include people in positions of power and decision making, who have theresponsibility to uphold the rights of young women.

For the majority of women, young women and girls, sex and gender discrimination intersectwith discrimination based on race (particularly indigenous women), religion, age, class, caste,
physical ability, migration status, sexual orientation and gender identity, pushing many who are
multiply marginalized into poverty.
Women are also marginalized by economic and digital divides, resulting in poverty andeconomic insecurity. Globalization means that jobs constantly move to where employers makethe highest profits. When men migrate for work, women are often left behind without access tojobs, bank credit, health care and higher education. When women migrate for work they canfind themselves in unsafe and abusive situations or financially unable to return to family. Whenfamilies migrate together, women, young women and girls are at increased risk of violence,
including sexual violence and trafficking. In times of economic uncertainty, when women lose
economic autonomy and are more dependant on men, there are higher rates of partner
violence and an increase in unsafe sex, putting the lives and futures of women, young womenand girls at risk.
10

82

UNAIDS Discussion Paper , Impact of the global economic crisis on women, girls and gender equality, 2012

83

FACT FINDING

In both formal and informal jobs, womenof all ages remain unsupported before,
during and after childbirth. They are the leastprivileged members of households yet remain
the primary caregivers. Not only is house andcare work invisible and unpaid, but womenare expected to balance unpaid care workwith long hours of paid work. In times of
economic crisis cuts in government services
increase the unpaid workload for women,
young women and girls with negative effects
in schooling rates, nutrition and health, stress,
and available free time. Economic power
structures benefit privileged men at the direct
expense of billions of women, young womenand girls who are considered “cheap labour”.

nn The International Labour Organisation(ILO) has estimated that in the absenceof targeted action, pay equity between
women and men will not be achieved
before year 2086.11
nn “Achieving gender equality and theeconomic empowerment of women isboth a moral and social imperative —and it’s also good business.”
http://blogs.worldbank.org/psd/economicopportunity-women-its-good-businessnn Young people are especially likely to beamong the working poor: 16 per cent of
all employed youth aged 15 to 24 wereconsidered working poor, compared to 9
per cent of adults.

Millions of women work as domestic labourers
in unsafe and insecure conditions and areparticularly vulnerable to rights violations.
Many are pushed into the informal economy,
where lack of access to labour protections
or decent work threatens safety and health.
Where no decent paid work is available,
sex work becomes an option, even though
this places them at high risk of violence,
unintended pregnancy, social stigma, HIV
and other sexually transmitted infections.

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg1

nn Global inequality = 8 men own the same
wealth as 3.6 billion people (who makeup the poorest half of humanity).
https://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases/2017-01-16/just-8-men-ownsame-wealth-half-world

Economic policy informed by
and accountable to labourand human rights principles will
provide the foundation fromwhich women can break down
barriers and realize their rights,
including addressing inequities
in caring duties in the home. It
will also promote broadly shared
growth. Rights-based labour andcommunity organizing among
women workers and their allies
can shift power relationships,
change working conditions
and address barriers to full andequal participation in the labour
market.

The development of multinational companies
operating in countries where labour costs
are low, poses challenges for women,
young women and girls. Weak labour laws
leave them without access to information
about their human rights and essential legal
remedies. Weak governments and corruption
worsen their situation. Too often, women,
young women and girls have nowhere toturn, to demand justice and human rights
protections.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights(UDHR Article 23 and 24) states that:

Economic injustice is a global and local
problem. It’s important to investigate
economic discrimination in the local andnational context in order to understand who
is most vulnerable to these human rights
violations, and how they can be involvedin challenging and changing economic
inequalities. You can ask some of thesequestions:

Everyone has the right to work, to freechoice of employment, to just andfavourable conditions of work and toprotection against unemployment.
Everyone, without any discrimination,
has the right to equal pay for equal
work.

• What jobs are available to women/young
women/girls in your community? Are theydifferent from the jobs that men/boys do?
Are they paid differently?

Everyone who works has the right tojust and favourable remuneration(pay) ensuring for him/herself andher/his family an existence worthy ofhuman dignity, and supplemented, if
necessary, by other means of social
protection.

• What domestic jobs are done by men/boys and women/young women/girls?
Who spends more time on domestic jobs?
Why?
• What do men/boys do while women/
young women/girls are doing domestic
jobs? Is it paid work, free time, leisureactivities, social time? Is this fair?

Everyone has the right to form and tojoin trade unions for the protection of
his/her interests.

• Are there government-funded services
like child-care and care for the elderly or
disabled, which assist women in finding
the time to look for and keep a paid job?

Everyone has the right to rest andleisure, including reasonable
limitation of working hours andperiodic holidays with pay.

• Are there labour unions or organizedgroups of workers that include women in
their leadership?
• If a young woman wants to study and geta good paying job, how do people in her
community react? Her family? Teachers?
Religious leaders and congregation?

Also the human rights principles ofparticipation and accountability are very
important when considering workers’ rights.
For participation, everyone has the rightto voice their opinions and negotiate fairworking conditions. In terms of accountability,
governments, multi-nationals and othercompanies must be held responsible for
ensuring healthy safe working environments
where earnings allow for a decent standardof living.

What are your rights? Here are someinternational guiding principles and humanrights that are related to creating equal andfair economic situations between rich andpoor nations and for all people:

UNWomen CSW“Women at Work: Trends 2016”, Geneva: International Labour
Organization, 2016, p. 28

11

84

85

Sustainable
Development Goals• Women and young women in formal andinformal jobs can seek the assistance of
local organizations or international NGOs,
which support workers’ human rights.

Here are some further questions
to guide an Action Plan:• Families can discuss the sharing ofdomestic work and re-allocate tasks tocreate a more equitable home.

SDGs 10 = Reduce inequality within andamong countries.

SDGs 10.5 = Improve the regulation andmonitoring of global financial markets andinstitutions and strengthen the implementationof such regulations.

SDG 8 = Promote sustained, inclusive andsustainable economic growth, full andproductive employment and decent work forall.

What does this mean? Global movement ofmoney and international investing should notallow for unfair or one-sided gains that benefit
rich countries and keep poorer countries poor.

Target 8.5 = By 2030, achieve full andproductive employment and decent work
for all women and men, including for young
people and persons with disabilities, andequal pay for work of equal value.

Rights-based labour and community
organizing among women workers
and their allies can shift power
relationships, change working
conditions and address barriers tofull and equal participation in thelabour market.

Target 8.6 = By 2020, substantially reduce
the proportion of youth not in employment,
education or training.
Target 8.7 = Take immediate and effective
measures to eradicate forced labour, end
modern slavery and human trafficking andsecure the prohibition and elimination of
the worst forms of child labour, including
recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by2025 end child labour in all its forms.

UNW CSW http://www.unwomen.org/-/
media/headquarters/attachments/
sections/csw/61/egm/solidarity%20
center%20%20center%20for%20
womens%20global%20leadership%20%20csw61%20egm%20background%20
paper.pdf?vs=1733

What does this mean? Your government must
invest in young people so they have the skills
and knowledge that will help them get ajob. Also, governments must protect people,
especially children and other vulnerable
groups, from harmful environments,
dangerous work and forced labour. There
must be equal pay between women andmen.

Who can play a role in uncovering economic
injustices that put women, young women andgirls at an economic disadvantage? Who canstand up for economic justice?
• Labour unions and groups of workers cancoordinate their efforts to bring unfair
practices to the attention of employers
and the government supervisors
responsible for employment. Suchorganizations must have women in theirleadership.

86

What are the negative effects ofeconomic injustice and inequality
in your community?

• Government representatives mustsupervise multi-nationals and national
companies to ensure that workers arepaid fairly, are not over-worked, and that
there are safe and healthy conditions.
They must also ensure that important
services such as child-care are available
in order to support women’s employment.

Who is most affected?
What can be done in yourcommunity to promote decent
employment for young women?

• Local, national and international
companies must ensure the basic rights
of all workers and abide by internationaland national laws.

Who can you reach out to for
more information and support?

• The United Nation’s International Labour
Organization (ILO) can support countries
to implement workers rights and candocument human rights violations.

Is there someone or an
organization that you can partnerwith to respond to the problems
faced by women in their work?

• Men and boys can assume their shareof domestic work and can support
the economic empowerment andautonomy of women in their families andcommunity.

How can you make sure thatpeople in positions of power,
who have a responsibility toensure equal pay, safe working
environments, and adequate
training for young people, focus
on the particular economic
concerns and realities of young
women?

• Are there others?.....

What change
do I want to see?

Note to Facilitator:

Can I be a leader on
this topic?

Refer back to the Young Women’s
Transformative Leadership Journey, which
includes discussions and learning about anissue and its related human rights. Through the
Journey work towards identifying partners andplanning actions, which include people inpositions of power and decision making, whohave the responsibility to uphold the rights ofyoung women.

Can I create or
join a social movement?

87

FACT FINDING13

10

nn Women who do not conform to gendernorms are at risk of being attacked,
raped, forcibly made pregnant, punishedand even killed, sometimes with thecompliance of the government (forexample if a LGBTIQ woman is in jail she isvery vulnerable to sexual abuse).

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender, Intersex andQuestioning (LGBTIQ):

It is important to create Safe Spaces forpeople of all gender identities and sexual
orientations and to understand that LGBTIQ
people are vulnerable to human rights
abuses such as police brutality, work place
discrimination (or not being given a job),school bullying, and social ostracization. In
some countries, loving someone of the samesex is illegal, and in a few countries it is evenpunishable by death.

nn Violence and murders of LGBTIQ
people are sometimes referred to as“honour” killings, carried out by family
or community members because they
think shame or dishonour has beenbrought on a family. Such violence isoften for transgressing gender norms orfor sexual behaviour, including actual orassumed same-sex sexual activity. While
women are generally the targets of thissort of punishment, these attacks can bedirected at individuals of any sex.

What is Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation andhow can we stop discrimination and stigma?
When talking about gender identity and sexual orientation, it is important to rememberthat humanity is diverse and that each person is unique. There is also diversity in theway we love and are attracted to others, of a different sex, the same sex, or both. Thisvariety of sexual desires has existed throughout history and in every country and cultureof the world, even if many cultures and people do not accept this diversity as ‘normal’.
It is also important to know that sexual identity cannot be changed by religion, therapy,
or medical treatment and that a person’s sexual behavior or identity may change overtheir lifetime depending on different situations.12 Widely held discrimination against
LGBTIQ people can make cruel and violent treatment seem acceptable. It never is.
If you, your friend, or a family member are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex
or questioning then much of what you will read here may be familiar. Some people
however feel confused or embarrassed or even angry when talking about sexual andgender identities. This topic is sensitive for many people, so it is very important that the
Facilitators ensure a Safe Space where young women feel protected from judgment
and able to ask questions feely. It is also important to quickly identify discriminationand control any threatening or cruel behaviour.

nn Questioning = someone who is exploring
their sexuality and/or gender and has
not decided yet.

What are your rights? Here are some ofthe human rights and obligations that support
the wellbeing of LGBTIQ people. Governments
have the obligation under international law
and the International Covenant on Civil andPolitical Rights (ICCPR) to:nn Protect individuals from violence.

nn The United Nations has documented
widespread physical and psychologicalviolence against LGBTIQ persons in all
regions - including murder, assault,
kidnapping, rape, sexual violence,as well as torture and ill-treatment ininstitutional and other settings. LGBTIQ
youth and lesbian, bisexual andtransgender women are at particular riskof physical, psychological and sexual
violence in family and community
settings14

nn Prevent torture and cruel, inhuman anddegrading treatment.
nn Get rid of laws that criminalize
homosexuality and cross-dressing.
nn Prohibit discrimination based on sexual
orientation and gender identity.
nn Protect freedom of expression andassociation of LGBTIQ people.
The human rights principles of Equality and
Non-Discrimination defend the rights of
LGBTIQ people. The opening words of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights are:Did you know15
nn Sexual Orientation = is your physical,romantic, or emotional attraction to otherpeople.

All human beings are born
free and equal in dignity andnn Gender Identity = is the deeply felt andexperienced sense of your own gender.
Transgender people do not identify withthe gender they were assigned at birth.

rights.
The International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) protects
the right to the highest attainable standards

nn Intersex = are people born with sexual
anatomy, reproductive organs, andchromosome patterns that do not fit the
typical definition of female or male.
12

It’s All One Curriculum, A Unified Approach to Sexuality, Gender, HIV, and Human Rights, 2009.

88

http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/BornFreeAndEqualLowRes.pdf
http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Discrimination/Joint_LGBTI_Statement_ENG.PDF
15
Born Free and Equal, OHCHR publication, 2012 http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/BornFreeAndEqualLowRes.pdf
13
14

89

government has the responsibility to provide
a full range of SRHR information and services
regardless of a person’s sexual orientation orgender identity, while ensuring that stigma
and discrimination are not tolerated.

of health. As LGBTIQ people face many formsof discrimination (denial of services, abuse andmistreatment) they are often denied sexual andreproductive health care and services.

Sustainable
Development Goals• The State must ensure that there are nolaws which criminalize or discriminate
against LGBTIQ people, nor laws which
criminalize same sex behaviors (ie. consensual sex between adults). The government also has the responsibility to ensurethat any mistreatment, discrimination orviolence against LGBTIQ people, is taken
seriously and dealt with in a court of law.

Here are some further questions
to guide an Action Plan:
What can be done in yourcommunity to confront stigma anddiscrimination of LGBTIQ people?

• Police officers, border guards and prison
personnel should undergo training andawareness of LGBTIQ issues in order toprevent abuse, and should be closely
monitored to ensure they do not carry out
cruel, degrading and inhuman behaviour,or torture.

SDGs 16 = Promote peaceful and inclusive
societies for sustainable development,
provide access to justice for all and build
effective, accountable and inclusive
institutions at all levels.

SDGs 3 = Ensure healthy lives and promote
wellbeing for all at all ages.

SDGs 16.1 = Significantly reduce all forms ofviolence and related death rates everywhere.
What does that mean? Governments must
recognize, confront and reduce all violence
faced by LGBTIQ people, including statesponsored violence. There must be laws against
such violence and those laws must be upheld.

What does this mean? Everyone has the rightto receive health care, especially sexualand reproductive care regardless of gender
identity or sexual orientation.

Who can play a role in preventing violenceagainst LGBTIQ people and putting an end to
stigma and discrimination?
• LGBTIQ women, young women and girls
and other youth organizations need Safe
Spaces where they feel comfortable
and supported to ask questions andreceive information on the human rights
of LGBTIQ people. Such a space can
support LGBTIQ women of all ages to seek
SRHR information and services and tostrengthen their ability to challenge unfair
and discriminatory attitudes and actions.

SDGs 5 = Achieve gender equality andempower all women and girls.

Target 5.6 = Ensure universal access to sexualand reproductive health and reproductive
rights as agreed in accordance with theProgramme of Action of the International
Conference on Population and Development[ICPD] and the Beijing Platform for Action
and the outcome documents of their review
conferences. What does that mean? Your• Local government representatives mustensure that there are programs andfinancing of anti-discrimination andinformation campaigns for the preventionof stigma and violence against LGBTIQ
citizens.

90

Who can you reach out to for more
information and support?
Is there someone or an organizationthat you can partner with to support
LGBTIQ women, particularly young
women and girls?

• Health care workers’ first responsibility
is to provide the full array of sexual andreproductive information and services to
LGBTIQ women, young women and girls in
an unbiased manner, which protects theirdignity and privacy. They must protect
the privacy of all patients.

How can you make sure thatpeople in positions of power, whohave a responsibility to ensure
the safety, equal treatment andcare of LGBTIQ members of thecommunity focus on the particularconcerns and realities of LGBTIQ
women, young women and girls?

• Teachers must be trained to understand
LGBTIQ issues for young people and tonever allow bullying or mistreatment of a
student because she/he is LGBTIQ.
• Community and religious leaders can encourage social acceptance and understanding of LGBTIQ community members.

Note to Facilitator:• Men and boys can speak out against
homophobia and violent anti-LGBTIQ
practices such as corrective rape.

Refer back to the Young Women’s
Transformative Leadership Journey, which
includes discussions and learning about anissue and its related human rights. Through the
Journey work towards identifying partners andplanning actions, which include people inpositions of power and decision making, whohave the responsibility to uphold the rights ofyoung women.

• Are there others?.....

What change
do I want to see?
Can I be a leader on
this topic?
Can I create or
join a social movement?
91

11

Bullying and Cyber-Bullying :What is it, how to handle it
and what can be done to stop it?
Bullying is a problem for young people everywhere in the world. A United Nations
Agency for Children’s (UNICEF) survey shows how bullying and harassment are ashared experience of young people from developed and developing countries. Being
picked on for your height, gender, skin colour, religion, language, physical ability,
refugee status, sexual orientation or any other characteristic, can destroy a person’s
self confidence and self worth and even has negative effects for their future. Bullying
is so common that it can happen just about anywhere, especially with access to theinternet and the popularity of social media.

Definition of Bullying16“Bullying can be defined as intentional and aggressive behaviour occurring repeatedly against avictim where there is a real or perceived power imbalance, and where the victim feels vulnerable
and powerless to defend himself or herself. The unwanted behaviour is hurtful: it can be physical,
including hitting, kicking and the destruction of property; verbal, such as teasing, insulting andthreatening; or relational, through the spreading of rumours and exclusion from a group.”

nn Children from poor families and out-ofschool children experience higher rates ofbullying.

Bullying, including online bullying,remains a largely misunderstoodrisk to the wellbeing of children
and young people. To end
this type of violence, we must
improve public awareness of theharmful impact of bullying, equip
teachers, parents and peerswith the skills to identify risks andreport incidents, and provide careand protection for victims.

It is important to investigate this problem
in your community and country in orderto understand who is most vulnerable tobullying (because of gender, religion, sexual
orientation, poverty, refugee status, disability,etc.). Reaching out to young women and girls
who are at risk of bullying can provide useful
information about the problem and offers
the girls an opportunity to challenge bullying
by seeking help. Young Women and girls canplay a critical role in eliminating bullying.

UNICEF’s Senior Adviser onChild Protection,

What are your rights?
Here are some human rights that protect
young people from bullying:https://www.unicef.org/media/
media_92086.html

nn The Convention on the Rights of theChild (CRC) recognizes children’s rightto protection from all forms of violence,
including physical or mental violence,
injury or abuse, neglect or negligent
treatment, maltreatment or exploitation,
including sexual abuse. Bullying is a formof abuse.

Did you know
nn Children who are bullied are more likely
to be depressed, lonely or anxious, and tohave low self-esteem.
nn Bullying can negatively affect a young
person’s health, school performance,and personal relationships.

nn The International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
protects all people from: violence; tortureand cruel, inhuman and degrading
treatment; and prohibits any form of
discrimination.

nn Boys are more likely than girls to bully
others; And girls are more likely to use
psychological/relational forms of bullying.

nn In 2016 the United Nations Secretary
General’s Report, Protecting Children
from Bullying, calls on governments to:raise public awareness and mobilize
support to prevent and address bullying;
improve efforts to inform and assist
children; create public policies and laws
to secure children’s protection, including
efforts to strengthen the capacity ofschools in early detection and response;and support practices to repair harm andrestore relationships.

nn Children who are cyber-bullied are often
bullied in person also.

FACT FINDING17
nn 9 out of 10 young people believe bullying is a pervasive problem in their communities(UNICEF survey 2016)
nn 1 of 3 youths think that being bullied is normal and almost 25% of those bullied felt they had
no one to talk to about it.
nn Most bullying is because of physical appearance, gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

nn Adolescent girls are often at risk of cyberbullying associated with sexual abuse.
Threats include the sharing of messages
or images of a sexual nature (sexting), or
the promotion of online intimidation andharassment (cyber-stalking), sometimes
with the aim of obtaining sexual favours
from victims or coercing them into
performing sexual acts (sexual extortion).

nn More than half of bullying occurs in person, but on-line cyber bullying on social media isvery common.
Secretary General’s Report, Protecting Children from Bullying, 2016
http://srsg.violenceagainstchildren.org/sites/default/files/documents/docs/A-71-213_EN.pdf
17
Secretary General’s Report, Protecting Children from Bullying, 2016
http://srsg.violenceagainstchildren.org/sites/default/files/documents/docs/A-71-213_EN.pdf
16

92

93

Sustainable
Development Goals

from fear and violence. Everyone has a rightto go to school and learn in a supportive
environment, and in order to learn we have tofeel safe and accepted.

• Cyber-bullying messages and images canbe posted anonymously and distributed
quickly to a very wide audience. It canbe difficult and sometimes impossible totrace the source.

What can you do if you arebeing bullied?

• Deleting inappropriate or harassing
messages, texts, and pictures is extremely
difficult after they have been posted or
sent.

(based on the YWCA of Canada’s
A Girl’s Guide to Knowing Her Rights)18:

SDGs 4 = Ensure inclusive and equitable
quality education and promote lifelong
learning opportunities for all.

What does that mean? Related to bullying, ithighlights the importance of knowledge ofhuman rights and the promotion of a cultureof peace and non-violence. It also shows how
schools must be safe, non-violent, inclusive
and effective learning environments for all. No
bullying allowed!

• Tell a trusted adult who can help you
make a plan to be safe and stop thebullying.

You have the right to be and feel safe
wherever you are. If you are being bullied anddon’t feel safe, the best thing you can do is toignore the bully. Try to find a group of people
you can join and tell an adult you trust.

• If the bully’s behaviour is against the law(for example, they hit you or threaten you
with violence) you could tell the police,
who may charge them with assault.

Who can play a role in ending
bullying?

• Set up a buddy system so you havesupport and you always have someone
with you when you think the bully might
be around.
• Depending on the situation, you could
talk to the bully yourself. Tell them firmlythat you want them to stop what they are
doing, and then walk away.
• If you know someone who is beingbullied, you can let that person know thatyou are there to help. Also you can invite
them to sit with you or have lunch withyou so they don’t feel so alone.
• Never become a bully yourself, even in
response to a bully. That just escalates thelevel of the bullying and could make thesituation more dangerous.

SDGs 16 = Promote peaceful and inclusive

societies for sustainable development,
provide access to justice for all and build
effective, accountable and inclusive
institutions at all levels.

What is different about Cyberbullying?19• Cyber-bullying can happen 24 hours aday, 7 days a week, and reach a person
even when he or she is alone. It canhappen any time of the day or night.

SDGs Target 16.2 = End abuse, exploitation,
trafficking and all forms of violence against
and torture of children. What does thatmean? Everyone has the right to live free18
19

• Police have the duty to investigate casesof bullying if they pose a threat to the life
and wellbeing of young people.
• Local government representatives mustensure that there are programs andfinancing to tackle bullying and protect
the rights of girls and young women.
• Governments are responsible fordeveloping anti-bullying initiatives
which can include: information andawareness-raising campaigns to deepen
understanding of bullying, the trauma it
creates and its risks and consequences;the promotion of positive communication
to strengthen values, concern forothers and responsibility in preventing
discrimination, promoting respect forhuman rights and strengthening safety inschool and online; and informing children
about how to protect themselves, how tocope with the distress abuse can cause,
how to strengthen their ability to respondand how to avoid situations where theirright to privacy, image, honour andreputation may be compromised. Bothat school and online, children needguidance in developing their ability tomake good decisions.

• Girls and Young Women who are
offered Safe Spaces to talk about theirexperiences and to gain self-confidence.
They can be supported to seek support
and/or protection from bullying.
• Teachers must be trained to be aware ofbullying in school. They can help identify
those who are vulnerable to bullying.
They can also notify superiors, parents
and authorities when a student is beingbullied.

• Are there others?.....

• Health care workers can be trained to
identify health problems that may belinked to the stress of being bullied. Thiscan include self-harm or even attemptedsuicide.

What change
do I want to see?

• Community leaders can educate parents
and children about bullying and makesure there are support services for young
people.

Can I be a leader on
this topic?

• Boys and men can speak out against
bullying, denouncing gender-based andsexually threatening bullying against girls
and young women.

Can I create or
join a social movement?

http://ywcacanada.ca/data/documents/00000083.pdf
https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it/index.html

9495Here are some further questions to guide an Action Plan:
What can be done in your community?
Who can you reach out to for more information and support?
How can you speak out and raise awareness in your community?
Is there someone or an organization that you can partner with to help end
bullying?
How can you make sure that people in positions of power, who have a
responsibility to end bullying, act and uphold the human rights of girls?

Note to Facilitator:
Refer back to the Young Women’s Transformative Leadership Journey, which includes
discussions and learning about an issue and its related human rights. Through the
Journey work towards identifying partners and planning actions, which include people
in positions of power and decision making, who have the responsibility to uphold therights of young women.

12

Menstruation and how it
affects the Lives of
Women and Girls
Almost every woman will menstruate. At every moment, of every day, of every year,
there are always hundreds of millions of women, young women and girls menstruating.
A young woman’s experience of menstruation has a lot to do with the country andculture she lives in. Some will celebrate it, some will feel ashamed, others may be
ostracized or forced to hide from society. Too many young women and girls are nevertaught about menstruation. Menstruation is a part of life (even the source of life) and it’s
important to know why it happens and what it means to a girl’s life.

FACT FINDING
nn One in 10 adolescent girls miss school and eventually drop out due to menstruation-related
issues.
http://kenya.unfpa.org/news/when-menstrual-cycle-becomes-question-human-rights#sthash.
JHyVOYlq.dpuf

nn A woman will menstruate approximately 3000 days over her lifetime. That is equal to 8
years.
nn Poor menstrual hygiene is linked to urinary tract infections, bacterial infections, and is also
linked with higher anaemia and infertility.
https://www.wssinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/resources/MENSTRUAL-HYGIENE-MANAGEMENTPaper-for-END-group-1.pdf

What a Girl should Know…
• Menstruation is part of growing up.
• Menstruation is normal for every woman, including the differently abled.
• Menstruation is not a women’s issue but a universal issue – men need to know about it too!
• There are many myths and misconceptions around menstruation.
• Training Manual http://wsscc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/MHM-Training-Manual-WASHHealth-Practitioners.pdf

9697Something to think about…

What Word Do You Use?
One study showed 5000 different terms used torefer to menstruation from around the world.

It seems strange [then] that water,
sanitation and hygiene services
ignore the needs of half the
population that menstruate on anaverage for 3000 days over their
lifetime---with very real, practicalneeds as regards water and spacefor washing and cleaning the body,material for absorbing menstrual
blood and facilities for proper
disposal of used materials so thatwomen can manage this biological
function with safety and dignity.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/healthand-families/menstruation-study-finds-over-5000slang-terms-for-period-a6905021.html

Menstruation= Period= That Time of the Month= The Curse= On the Rag= Mother Nature’s Visit= The Mensus= Auntie’s Visit= Chapudi= Women’s Trouble= Lady Trouble ...

https://www.wssinfo.org/fileadmin/user_
upload/resources/MENSTRUAL-HYGIENEMANAGEMENT-Paper-for-END-group-1.pdf

What are your rights?
Here are some of the human rights related to
menstruation:• The World Conference on Human Rights
reaffirmed that the human rights ofwomen throughout the life cycle are an
inalienable, integral and indivisible part ofuniversal human rights.

Sustainable
Development Goals

Who can play a role in ensuring menstrual
hygiene and putting an end to stigma anddiscrimination?
• Girls and Young Women who are
informed about menstruation and haveaccess to affordable sanitary products
can stay clean and healthy. They canalso help other young girls understandmenstruation so that no one is ashamedor embarrassed.
• Parents have a responsibility to ensurethat their daughters are aware of
menstruation, know how to keep
themselves clean and healthy, and havethe means to purchase or make sanitary
products. Parents can help break taboos
and stigma by also informing their sonsabout menstruation.

SDG 3 = Ensure healthy lives and promote
wellbeing for all at all ages.

Target 3.7 = By 2030, ensure universal accessto sexual and reproductive health-careservices, including for family planning,
information and education, and theintegration of reproductive health into
national strategies and programs.

• Health care workers can champion
menstrual health and make it a normal
issue to be spoken of (without whispering)at health check ups, in community
health meetings, and with other healthofficials who have a responsibility for the
population’s health and wellbeing.
• Local government representatives mustensure that menstrual health issues andsolutions are discussed and financed(ie. community latrines built withwashing and privacy needs taken into
consideration and support for local
production of sanitary products).

Something more to think about• The International Conference on
Population and Development (ICPD)
reaffirms women’s reproductive rights andthe right to development.

Why is it that these various
conventions and linked action plans,elaborate on women’s sexual andreproductive rights but stop short of
explicitly naming menstruation as
one of the most stigmatized, silent
and socially constructed silent cursesthat plague a third of the world’s
population throughout the developed
and developing world?

• Both the Declaration of the Rights of theChild and the Convention on the Rightsof the Child (CRC) guarantee children’s
rights and uphold the principle of nondiscrimination on the grounds of gender.
What does that mean? Women and girls should
not be disadvantaged because of a naturaland biological fact of being female. Upholding
their human rights is the responsibility of family,community, state and global governance.
Menstruation is a part of reproduction andthere are clear laws that protect reproductive
health. The state must provide theinfrastructure and services to ensure the healthand dignity of women, young women and girls.

https://www.wssinfo.org/fileadmin/user_
upload/resources/MENSTRUAL-HYGIENEMANAGEMENT-Paper-for-END-group-1.pdf

98• The State must fund menstrual healthawareness campaigns as part of general
health and the sexual and reproductive
health and rights of women, young
women and girls. The State needs toensure that children are educated inschool and out about menstruation andmust finance latrine building and hygienic
washing areas for women and girls.

SDG 6 = Ensure availability and sustainable

management of water and sanitation for all.
Target 6.2 = By 2030, achieve access toadequate and equitable sanitation andhygiene for all and end open defecation,
paying special attention to the needs ofwomen and girls and those in vulnerable
situations.

• Teachers must provide sexual andreproductive health information that
includes menstruation. Information
should be inclusive and evidence based.
Teachers who can openly talk about
menstruation can break the taboo
around the issue and make it a normalpart of school and learning.

What does that mean? Schools, publicbuildings, and residential areas must haveaccess to clean water and private latrines
and washing areas which support women of
all ages to use and wash sanitary products
during menstruation.

99

• Community and Religious leaders canhelp break silence, taboos and stigma
by addressing menstruation openly andensuring that communities adapt towomen’s needs.

What change
do I want to see?

• Men and boys need to accept
menstruation as a natural and positive
part of a female’s life. They can confront
taboos and discrimination by supporting
the women in their lives economically(making sure there is money for sanitary
products) and with infrastructure(ensuring a private, clean and safe space
is available for women).

Can I be a leader on
this topic?
Can I create or
join a social movement?

13

Faith, Feminism andHuman Rights:
How To Define It And Live It?

• Are there others?.....

Here are some further questions to guide an Action Plan:
What can be done in your community?
Who can you reach out to for more information and support?
Is there someone or an organization that you can partner with to raise awarenessabout menstrual hygiene?

Faith, feminism and human rights share a common foundation in social justice for all. As
the words and actions of YWCAs around the world prove, the combination of faith andfeminism in the service of human rights can create dynamic and positive opportunities
for women, young women and girls.
Working towards gender equality by using Faith and Feminism to sustain social
justice arguments further strengthens the human rights principles of equality and nondiscrimination, participation and empowerment, and accountability and transparency.
Young women can use their feminist knowledge, spiritual beliefs and human rights
training to define their social justice causes and actions.

How can you make sure that people in positions of power, who have a
responsibility to ensure the health and wellbeing, focus on the particular issue of
menstrual hygiene and the menstrual realities of women, young women and girls?
Each of the terms has a particular strength to offer in the defense
gender equality:

Note to Facilitator:
Refer back to the Young Women’s Transformative Leadership
Journey, which includes discussions and learning about an issue
and its related human rights. Through the Journey work towards
identifying partners and planning actions, which include people
in positions of power and decision making, who have theresponsibility to uphold the rights of young women.

Faith can examine deeply rooted social structures, traditional
beliefs and cultural teachings, thereby challenging a status quo
which is unjust and discriminatory towards women.
Feminism relies on a strong history of collaboration among women,using the power of demonstrations, shared purpose and actions tochallenge gendered injustices.
Human Rights offers legal guidance, an inclusive framework to
examine a problem, and remedies for confronting institutional
and individual discrimination by using international human rights
agreements such as the UDHR or CEDAW.

100

101

YWCAs around the globe recognize and are
inspired by Christian values that uphold thehuman rights of women of all ages. Values
that praise the power of being informed andprepared to make responsible life choices;values that protect an individual’s dignity
by ensuring her right to quality educationand health care; values that encourage allvoices to be heard and values that upholda justice system that treats everyone as
equals. Key issues concerning young womenare addressed through these values of love,compassion, non-judgment, dignity andjustice.

The human rights of women
include their right to have control
over and decide freely andresponsibly on matters related totheir sexuality, including sexualand reproductive health, freeof coercion, discrimination andviolence.
Beijing Declaration and Platform for
ActionYWCAs use transformative leadership andfaith, to listen, not just to those who sharethe same struggle, but to those who use
alternative interpretations of religious texts
to belittle women, to diminish opportunities
for young women and girls, and to trample
on their human rights. Young women leaders
who take strength from their feminism, faithand knowledge of human rights, and who aresupported by peers and mentors, can speak
truth to power and challenge those who areafraid of progressive interpretations of faith,
feminism and human rights. This is particularly
true around the interconnected issues ofreligion, sexual and reproductive health andwomen’s human rights.

What are your rights? Here are somehuman rights related to the welfare anddignity of women of all ages that are often
argued against as cultural issues by somereligious and conservative leaders.
1. UDHR Article 16(3) states that, “thefamily is the natural and fundamentalgroup unit of society and is entitled toprotection by society and State”. What
does that mean? This idea of family allows
for the historical and present reality thatfamilies come in many shapes and sizes
and there is a diversity of family forms(for example, grandparents may takecare of grandchildren; single mother orsingle father homes; same sex parents
with children, etc.). However, there are agroup of countries that want to narrowly
define families (a heterosexual unionwith children), and to place the rights ofthe family before the rights of individual
family members. This could have thenegative effect of hiding or ignoring
human rights abuses that occur in thefamily (for example physical, emotionaland economic violence; incest and childabuse; early and forced marriage; female
genital mutilation; dowry violence, etc.).

FACT FINDING
nn Most religions affirm that every humanbeing is created equal in the image ofGod.
nn 84% of the world’s population identifies
with a religion (6.9 Billion people).20
nn FBOs are providers of health care, forexample, the Catholic Church operates
an estimated 5,300 hospitals worldwide.21

2. Many sexual rights defined and upheldby the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights (UDHR), the Convention on the
Elimination of all forms of Discrimination

Pew Research Center, 2012, http://www.pewforum.
org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-exec

20

The Lancet, http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)60251-3/fulltext

21

102

Stories of Feminist Faith
Leaders for Human Rights:

Against Women (CEDAW), theInternational Conference on Population
and Development Programme of Action(ICPD PoA), and other human rights
standards, are regularly challenged byconservative religious groups and states,for example: Comprehensive sexuality
education; Early, forced and childmarriage; Female genital mutilation;
Gender-based violence; Criminalization
or restrictions on abortion; Genderequality; Gender identities and sexual
orientation; HIV prevention and care;
Sexual rights of young people; Rights ofsex workers; Rights of intersex people;
Reproductive rights, and more.

The Story of The Daughters of Zelophehad:This is a story set in biblical times(when Moses was leading the Jewish
people out of Egypt). There are fivesisters who challenged discriminatory
inheritance laws. Zelophehad was thefather of these 5 sisters and there wasno son. Traditional practices meantthat the daughters had no right tothe lands of their father, but insteadof accepting this unfair treatment,
the five sisters confronted the maleleaders and pleaded their case. They
successfully convinced Moses and theother male leaders that they should
inherit the land.

Sustainable
Development Goals
The SDGs are a global plan for People, Planet,
Prosperity, Peace, and Partnerships. What canfaith-based organizations (FBOs) offer for the
implementation and monitoring of the SDGs?
Faith-based organizations that champion the
dignity of all people within a social justiceframework can strengthen the connection
between faith, feminism and human rights.
A spiritual perspective can strengthensocial justice arguments, for example theimportance of focusing on those who aremost marginalized and at risk of being
left behind, can also be seen as a humanrights perspective for non-discriminationand equality. FBOs can include a spiritual
dimension and perspective, which is often
missing in development initiatives thatsometimes take a narrow economic andpolitical view of human development.
The SDGs are a complex interconnected
plan to address the wellbeing of humanity;
young women’s spiritual beliefs and feminist
practices are an important part of this global
picture and can enrich both discussions andactions.

The Story of Aisha, wife of the Prophet
Mohammed:
Aisha is an example of leadershipand strength among Muslims, as
she became a political and spiritualleader, a scholar, a mufti, and judge,
in addition to being the Prophet’s
wife. As a role model for young
Muslim women, Aisha embodies the
combination of spirituality, activism
and knowledge.

103What change
do I want to see?

Resources:
We Will Speak Out Coalition- A network offaith-based organizations advocating to end
violence against women.

ACTIVITIESCan I be a leader on
this topic?

https://www.wewillspeakout.org/about

Gender Justice Policy from the Lutheran World
Federation

Can I create or
join a social movement?

Warm-up andEnergizer Activities

Human Rights
Activities

SETTING THE GROUND RULES
GETTING TO KNOW YOU…

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE
UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN
RIGHTS (UDHR)

Here are some further questions to guide an Action Plan:

NAME GAMEKNOW YOUR RIGHTS IN YOUR REALITY

Are there any negative effects of religious teachings in your community?

KNOTS

A HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED APPROACH
TO TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP

https://www.lutheranworld.org/content/resourcelwf-gender-justice-policy

Who is most affected by these teachings? Are women, young women and girls
treated as equals to men and boys?

ALPHABET ON THE FLOOR
GOING ON A SPACE SHIP

Topic Specific
Activities

NAME AND ACTION
What can be done in your community to promote positive faith and feminist
actions in support of women’s human rights?

SAY IT WITH SILENCEGUIDED DISCUSSIONS (SEE NOTES TO
FACILITATORS)TRUTH AND LIE
Who can you reach out to for more information and support?
Is there someone, an organization or a church, that you can partner with torespond to the inequalities that women and girls face?
How can you make sure that people in positions of power, who have a
responsibility to ensure gender equality, focus on the particular concerns andrealities of young women?

Note to Facilitator:
Refer back to the Young Women’s Transformative Leadership Model, which
includes discussions and learning about an issue and its related humanrights. Through the Journey work towards identifying partners and planning
actions, which include people in positions of power and decision making,who have the responsibility to uphold the rights of young women.

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I ONCE…..

Leadership Activities

Closing and
Evaluation Activities

LEADERSHIP QUALITIESCLOSING COMMENTS

WHAT WE NEED TO BE YOUNG
WOMEN LEADERS

FACILITATOR’S SELF REFLECTION
FORM

TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP
MAPSPARTICIPANTS EVALUATION FORM

LEADERSHIP STORIES

Illustrated Stories of
Leadership from theMovement

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ACTIVITIES WARM UP, ICE BREAKERS AND ENERGIZERSSETTING THE GROUND RULES
At the beginning of the workshop it is important to set the tone for the day.
Each time the group comes together, remind the participants of thesecommon rules.

Purpose: Have the group identify how to treat one anotherand set their own rules, based on openness and respect, for theworkshop.

ACTIVITIESWARM UP, ICE BREAKERS AND ENERGIZERSGETTING TO KNOW YOU…

(adapted from Compass: Manual for Human Rights Education with Young
People)Purpose: This activity aims to promote self-esteem and builds

solidarity within the group.

Time: 15 minutes
Instructions: Ask everyone to stand in a very wide circle. Make

Time: 30 minutes

sure the circle is as big as possible as the circle will slowly get
smaller. At the end the participants will be standing very close
together.

Materials: Flipchart paper and pens
Instructions: Explain the importance of setting ground rules toensure everyone feels comfortable participating in the workshop.
Then ask each young woman to think of a rule that everyone
should follow. Have each participant share her suggestion. The
group must all agree before a rule is added to the list. Facilitators
can also suggest rules.

Invite someone to take a step into the circle and to say something
she is good at. Now tell the rest of the group to take a step
forward and repeat the name and what she is good at.
Invite someone else to take a turn, the rest of the group repeats
and then everyone takes a step forward. Continue until everyone
has had a turn and the circle is very small.

Write all the accepted rules on the flipchart paper and post it
where everyone can see it.
Suggestions for ground rules: listen when someone is talking;respect different opinions; do not make fun or laugh at anotherperson’s ideas; no judging of others; help one another; have fun

Key Messages: Treating one another with respect and kindness

is key to becoming a transformative leader.

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ACTIVITIES WARM UP, ICE BREAKERS AND ENERGIZERSNAME GAMEACTIVITIESWARM UP, ICE BREAKERS AND ENERGIZERSKNOTS

Purpose: Participants will introduce one another and learn eachother’s names. This is also a positive self-esteem activity.

Purpose: Build co-operation and get participants working
together to find solutions to a problem.

Time: 15 minutes

Time: 20 minutes

Instructions: Ask everyone to stand in a circle.

Instructions:

Invite one person (anyone) to say their name (ie. Benali). Ask therest of the group to think of a positive adjective (describing words)
that start with the same letter (ie. Brave, Beautiful, Bold,). Say them
one at a time out loud.

Ask the participants to get into small groups of 5-7 people. Telleveryone to stand shoulder to shoulder in a circle, with their arms
stretched out in front of them.

Ask Benali to choose one of the words.
Now invite the person standing to Benali’s right to say, “Hello Brave
Benali.
My name is _____________ (ie. Sara)”.

They should now reach out and take hold of each other’s hands.
Make sure that no two people hold both hands with each otherand no one should hold the hand of the person immediately
beside them.
Now tell the participants to untangle the knot without letting go of
the hands.

Ask the group to find a positive descriptive word for Sara (ie. Super,
Serious, Stunning). Sara then chooses one of the suggestions.

Tips for Facilitators
Now ask the next person to say, “Hello Brave Benali and Super
Sara, my name is …..”.
Continue around the circle until everyone has been introduced.

Participants will have to climb under and over each other’s arms.
It takes a little patience, but the surprising result will be one or two
big circles.

Tips for Facilitators
The words don’t have to describe the person, but must start withthe same letter. It is also important to keep the words positive. Be
ready with a few positive words just in case the no one has an
idea. Also, it is up to the person to choose her word from those
provided.

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ACTIVITIES WARM UP, ICE BREAKERS AND ENERGIZERSALPHABET ON THE FLOORACTIVITIESWARM UP, ICE BREAKERS AND ENERGIZERSGOING ON A SPACE SHIP

Purpose:This is a good “welcome” activity. Participants start
to learn one another’s name and something about their fellow
participants. It can also be a good starter for a discussion about
diversity and respecting difference.

Purpose: This game helps the group learn one another’s names.

Time: 20 minutes

Instructions: Ask everyone to sit in a circle. Go around the groupand have each person say their name and what they would bringwith them if they were going to the moon on a space ship.

Materials: Write each letter of the alphabet on a separate pieceof paper (1 full sized page).

Instructions:Spread the letters out randomly (and with a lot of
space between the papers) over the floor and ask participants toform a circle around them.
Explain you are going to ask some questions, for example “Whatis your name?” Then , as quickly as possible, participants must findthe first letter of their name and stand with their toe touching thepiece of paper.
When everyone has found their letter, do a round, letter by letterso that everyone says their name.

Time: Time: 20 minutes

Ask everyone to repeat the names and things of everyone else
before giving their own name and example.
Ensure that everyone has had a chance to introduce themselves.

Tips for Facilitators
If participants cannot remember the names and objects ofeveryone by themselves, have the group call out and help them.
The facilitators should go last as they need to remember
everyone’s names.

Ask another question and do another round.
End the activity after 4 or 5 rounds depending on the size of thegroup.
Examples of Questions:
What is your name?
What is your favourite food?
What is your favourite colour? What is one word to describe
yourself?

Tips for Facilitators
If you are working with a group who cannot read and write, thenchoose simple words that begin with each letter of the alphabet
and draw a picture (ie. House for H and you draw a house).
Also, use the appropriate language and alphabet for your group.

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ACTIVITIES WARM UP, ICE BREAKERS AND ENERGIZERSNAME AND ACTION

ACTIVITIESWARM UP, ICE BREAKERS AND ENERGIZERS

TRUTH AND LIE

Purpose: Participants learn one another’s names and get

Purpose: Participants get to know one another.

Instructions: Ask everyone to stand in a circle. Ask one

Instructions: Ask participants to get in a circle. Each participant
introduces herself and tells the group 2 truths about herself and
one lie.

energized.

participant to step into the middle of the circle, say her name anddo an action that goes along with it.
Everyone else says her name and copies the action.

The group has to guess the lie.The person who guesses the lie getsto go next.

Go around the circle until everyone has had a turn.

Make sure everyone has a turn.

SAY IT WITH SILENCEI ONCE…

Purpose: Everyone learns one another’s names and learns
something about their peers.

Purpose: Energize participants and help them feel more
comfortable with one another.

Instruction Ask participants to find a partner. Each girl has 2

Time: 20 minutes

When 2 minutes is up have the other participant tell her name andact out something about herself.

Instructions: Ask participants to stand in a big circle. Askeveryone to think of something they once did (you can give someexamples) and explain that everyone will have a turn to sharewith the group.

When 4 minutes is up, have the group come back together ina circle and ask each pair to introduce each other. After each
introduction, allow the participant who was introduced to correct
or add any information about herself.

Each person takes a turn going to the middle of the circle, saying
their name and saying something that they did once (ie. “I once
ran 10 kilometers” or “I once read an entire book in one day” or “I
once acted in a play”).

minutes to tell the other her name, and then without speaking,something about herself (favourite sport, colour, number of sisters
and brothers, favourite music, etc.).

If any of the other participants has also done this, they run into thecircle and give one another a hug or clap their hands. Allow eachparticipant to have a turn.

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ACTIVITIES LEADERSHIPACTIVITIESWHAT WE NEED TO BE YOUNG WOMEN LEADERSLEADERSHIPLEADERSHIP QUALITIES

Purpose: Young women examine what kinds of support theyneed in order to learn and practice transformative leadership.

Purpose: To identify the qualities of a good leader.

Preparation: Review page 12 of the Global Rise Up! Guide andMaterials:Flipchart and markers; pieces of paper and pens foreveryone; tapemake copies for the group.

Time: 2 hours

Time: 1 – 1.5 hours
Materials: Flipchart paper and markers
Instructions: Hand out a copy of page 11 to everyone. Read thePacific YWCA Young Women’s Leadership Strategy out loud, or
have the participants take turns reading the 5 supporting factorsthat help Young Women become leaders. (10 min)Ask if there are any other factors the group would like to add.
When everyone agrees then add it to the list. Use the flipchart
paper so everyone can see the growing list.

When the group’s list is complete have them form smaller groupsof 3 or 4 people (depending on the number of participants). Giveeach group one of the factors, but they are not allowed to tell
the other groups which one they have. Have each group createa short drama that they will act out in front of everyone. Eachdrama will try to show what this supporting factor looks like in real
life. (30 min)Have each group present their drama. After each presentation,
the audience has to guess what supporting factor has beenpresented. After everyone has presented the group can votefor the best drama. (30-45 minutes depending on group size andnumber of supporting factors)

Key Messages: Leadership comes from within (our own qualities
and learned skills) and also depends on external factors too.
Look for people, organizations, and opportunities that support
your transformative leadership. Everyone deserves to be Safe,
Respected, Included, Connected, and Skilled.

114

Instructions: Hand out three cards per participant and ask
everyone to write or draw a quality of a leader on each card.
(5 minutes)
Hand out another round of 3 cards each and ask participants to
identify the characteristics of a bad leader. (5 min)Ask participants to post their cards on the wall. One area is for
Good Leadership and a different area is for Bad Leadership.
Organize the cards so that you get “groups” of similar qualities
and characteristics. Read out each quality and ask if everyone
agrees with each quality? Which ones are seen as mostimportant? Was it easier to come up with good or bad leadership
qualities? (20 min)Now have the participants make groups of 2 or 3 people. Ask thegroups to identify 2 good leaders in their lives (one woman andone man). The group can use the already identified qualities to
describe these leaders or add new qualities. Have all the groups
to share 3 good qualities of each leader and record all on a
flipchart paper. (20 min)Now ask the groups to identify three good leadership qualities that
describe themselves. They can work in groups or on their own todecide what leadership qualities they have. Have everyone sharewith the group. Then have each participant choose 3 leadership
qualities they want to learn. (20 min)
Sit in a circle and have each participant say: I would like tobe__________, ____________, and _____________. Go around thecircle so everyone can share their leadership goals. After each

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ACTIVITIES LEADERSHIPACTIVITIESLEADERSHIP

person shares, have everyone clap in agreement. If there is stilltime, have each young woman write or draw those qualities on apiece of paper so she can keep it as her leadership goal. (15 min)Start a group conversation on where being a leader as a young
woman can take you. Ask each young woman to reflect on
where she sees herself in her leadership journey. You can ask thefollowing questions:

Key Messages: Everyone has some qualities of good leadership.

How do you want to use my leadership qualities?

Leadership can be learned.

Do you have the support you need to tackle problems in your life
or in your community? Are there people who believe in you andwant you to succeed?
Do you feel that you know your human rights? And if so, do you
feel prepared and ready to talk about and claim those rights?

TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP MAPS
Purpose: The group will reflect on the Transformative Leadership
Journey and how it relates to their own leadership goals. The
young women will then create their own leadership map to share
their experiences and identify goals on their leadership journey.
Preparation: Review pages 17-19 of the Global Rise Up! Guideand make copies for the group.

Time: 2.5 – 3 hours
Materials: Flipchart paper and markers; copies of theTransformative Leadership Journey for everyone; enough art
paper for everyone to have a large piece (with some extras);coloured pencils and markers; art supplies (scissors, glue, tape);
decorative items that can be glued onto paper (flowers, leaves orother natural treasures, buttons, pieces of cloth, ribbons, etc.)

Do other people in your community suffer rights abuses? Are there
some people who are more vulnerable than others? Is this fair?
Do you know who can help solve local or national problems?
Are there people in positions of power who are interested incollaborating with you?
How can you make sure that the changes you want to see aresustainable, meaning that they are long lasting and will affectmore than yourself? (30 min)Share the pieces of paper and art supplies and explain that each
person is to draw their leadership journey. This can be in the formof a cycle, or a river or a map, or any other form. Tell everyone tobe creative and have fun when charting their leadership journey.
(1 hour)
Bring the group back together and have each young
woman present her leadership map to the group. If anyone isuncomfortable sharing they do not need to present. (30 min)Post the maps on the wall so everyone can see.

Key Messages: Leadership is a journey that never ends.
Instructions: Start a conversation on what Transformative

Leadership looks like by discussing the circle diagram on page
17. Read out the story about Maria from the Transformative
Leadership Journey. Have the young women get into pairs anddecide together how the story fits the Transformative Leadership
Cycle. Bring the group back together so everyone can share theirideas. (30 min)

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Transformative leadership means making change in your life,
community, or country that improves the lives of others and yourown life.
Knowing your rights and who is responsible to uphold those rights is
a powerful part of transformative leadership.

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ACTIVITIES LEADERSHIPACTIVITIESYOUNG WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP STORIES

Reflect with the group on some of the similarities and differencesin the stories. Did the young women face any obstacles? How did
they overcome difficulties? Did they receive help and support
from others? Leadership can take many forms and at the sametime, young women can face similar struggles.

Purpose: Use storytelling to examine how leadership cantransform a person’s life and improve a community. Practicestorytelling as a tool for communicating important ideas about
young women’s rights and abilities.

Key Messages: Leadership stories can help us see ourselves andother young women as leaders.
Stories are a good way to communicate our challenges andabilities to other young women, our parents, our community andthose people who have the responsibility to uphold our humanrights. Stories can inspire people to make change.

Time: 3 hours
Materials: flipchart and pens; paper and pens for everyone
Instructions: Introduce the activity by explaining thatsharing information through stories is a very powerful way tocommunicate with your peers, others in your social movement,
people in your community, and those people who are responsible
for respecting, protecting and fulfilling human rights. Storytelling isa skill that can strengthen your leadership.

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE UNIVERSALDECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS22

Explain that today they will be thinking of stories of young women
who have shown leadership. Have the group think about whatmakes a good story. Record their ideas on the flipchart paper.
Remind the group that it can help to structure a leadership story
by having: a Beginning (introduce the person and the challenges
she faced), a Middle (how she used her leadership to overcome achallenge), and an End (the effect her leadership had on her life
and the lives of others). (10 min)Purpose: To become familiar with the UDHR and have a better
understanding of how it relates to everyday life. The young
women will develop a list of rights that they would want for an
imaginary new country and compare their list with the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.
Time: Approximately 2 Hours

Ask everyone to think about a young woman’s leadership story.
The story can be their own personal story or a story about a young
woman that they know (for privacy all names in the story should
be changed). Then share paper and pens so that they can record
their story, paying attention to how leadership helped bring about
positive change. If anyone would like to work in pairs they can dothat. Also, if they prefer to draw instead of write the story that is ok
too.(1 hour)
When everyone has finished their stories, have each person sharethe story with the group (if anyone does not want to share thenthey do not have to). (1 hour)

LEADERSHIP

Materials: Flip chart paper and pens or a Board and chalk;
Copies of the UDHR in simple language/local language23 foreveryone.

Adapted from It’s All One Curriculum Activities (2009) and the Office of the High Commissioner for
Human Rights (OHCHR) ABC: Teaching Human Rights—Practical activities for primary and secondary
schools (2004). http://www.popcouncil.org/uploads/pdfs/2011PGY_ItsAllOneActivities_en.pdf

22

http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/ABCChapter1en.pdf
23118

www.ohchr. org/EN/UDHR/Pages/Language. aspx?LangID=eng

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ACTIVITIES HUMAN RIGHTSACTIVITIESInstructions:: Divide participants into groups of four or fiveindividuals. Tell participants:• You will be settling a new island that has everything necessary
for sustaining human life. No one has ever lived there, so no laws
and no history exist.
• You must draw up a list of ten human rights that willautomatically apply to every person on this island.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Hand out: UDHR in simple language/local language.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in simple language:
When children are born, they are free, and each should betreated in the same way. They have reason and conscience andshould act toward one another in a friendly manner.
Everyone can claim the following rights, regardless of his or her:

• None of you knows what your position, gender, ethnicity/race,class, or sexual orientation will be.

• gender;• You have 10 minutes to write your list.

• language;

Have each group present their human rights list. Write a unified“group list” that includes all of the rights mentioned. Write these on
the board or flipchart paper in view of everyone. (30 min)Introduce the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
Explain that it is a list of rights for everyone in the world. If
appropriate ask each young woman to read or act out one
Human Rights Article. After reading/acting out all of the articles,
ask if anyone has a question about any of them. Hand out a copyof the UDHR to everyone. (30 min)Ask participants to return to their small groups to consider:• skin color;• political beliefs;• religion;• wealth or poverty;• social group;• country of birth; and• country’s status as independent or not.
You have the right to live and to live in freedom and safety.
Nobody has the right to treat you as his or her slave, and you
should not make anyone your slave.

• What are some of the similarities between our list and the UDHR
list?

Nobody has the right to torture you.

• Which rights from the Universal Declaration did we fail to
include?

You should be legally protected in the same way everywhere andin the same way everyone else is protected.

• Do we want to add any more rights to our list?

The law is the same for everyone; it should be applied in the same
way to all.

• Were any rights on the group list not included in the UDHR?
(15 min)Bring the groups back together and review their responses tothe questions under Step 4. Ask how important is it to have auniversally agreed-upon list of human rights that apply to every
person. (20 min)120

You should be able to ask for legal help when the rights yourcountry grants you are not respected.
Nobody has the right to put you in prison, to keep you there, orto send you away from your country unjustly or without a goodreason. If you must go on trial, the trial should be conductedin public. The people who try you should not let themselves be
influenced by others.

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ACTIVITIES HUMAN RIGHTSACTIVITIESYou should be considered innocent until you are proved guilty. If
you are accused of a crime, you should always have the right todefend yourself. Nobody has the right to condemn you or punish
you for something you have not done.
You have the right to ask to be protected if someone tries to harm
your good name, enter your house, open your mail, or bother youor your family without a good reason.
You have the right to come and go as you wish within yourcountry. You have the right to leave your country to go to anotherone; and you should be able to return to your country if you want.
If someone hurts you, you have the right to seek asylum (safehaven) in another country. You may lose this right if you havecommitted a serious violation of human rights.
You have the right to belong to a country, and nobody can
prevent you, without a good reason, from belonging to anothercountry if you wish.
As soon as a person is legally entitled to do so, he or she has
the right to marry and have a family. Neither the color of yourskin, nor the country you come from, nor your religion shouldbe impediments to doing this. Men and women have the samerights when they are married and also when they are separated.
Nobody should force a person to marry. The government of yourcountry should protect your family and its members.
You have the right to own things, and nobody has the right to takethese from you without a good reason.
You have the right to profess your religion freely, to change it, andto practice it on your own or with others.
You have the right to think what you want and to say what you
like, and nobody should forbid you from doing so. You have a rightto share your ideas with anyone — including people from anyother country.
You have the right to organize peaceful meetings or to take partin meetings in a peaceful way. No one has the right to force you
to belong to a group.

HUMAN RIGHTS

You have the same right as anyone else to take part in yourcountry’s political affairs. You may do this by belonging to thegovernment yourself or by choosing politicians who have thesame ideas as you do. Governments should be elected regularly,
and voting should be secret. You should be allowed to vote, andall votes should be counted equally.
The society in which you live should help you to develop andto make the most of all the advantages (culture, work, social
welfare) that are offered to you and to everyone in your country.
You have the right to work, to be free to choose your work, andto receive a salary that allows you to live and support your family.
If a man and a woman do the same work, they should get thesame pay. All people who work have the right to join together toprotect and defend their interests.
Workdays should not be very long, because everyone has theright to rest and should be able to take regular paid holidays.
You have the right to have whatever you need so that you andyour family do not become ill; do not go hungry; have clothes
and a house; and receive help if you are out of work, if you are ill,
if you are old, if your wife or husband is dead, or if you are unable
to earn a living for any other reason that you cannot help. Botha mother who is going to have a baby and her baby should get
special help.
Every child has the same rights as every other child, whether or notits mother is married.
You have the right to go to school; everyone should be able to go
to school. Primary schooling should be free. You should be able
to learn a profession or skill or continue your studies as far as you
wish. At school, you should be able to develop all your talents. You
should be taught to get along with others, whatever their race,
religion, or background. Your parents have the right to choose
how and what you are taught at school.
You have the right to share in your community’s arts and sciences,and in any good they do. Your works as an artist, a writer, or ascientist should be protected, and you should be able to benefit
from them.
To ensure that your rights are respected, an “order” must be

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ACTIVITIES HUMAN RIGHTSACTIVITIES

established that can protect them. This “order” should be local
and worldwide. You have duties toward your community. The law
should guarantee your human rights. It should allow everyone torespect others and to be respected.
No society and no human being in any part of the world should
act in such a way as to destroy the rights that are listed here.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS IN YOUR REALITY
Purpose: Support young women to ask key questions that help
uncover human rights abuses and identify who needs to act, andwhat needs to happen. This activity will familiarize the participants
with the 2nd phase of the Young Women’s Transformative
Leadership Journey.
Time: 2.5 - 3 hours
Materials: flipchart paper and pens; paper and pens foreveryone; copies of Know Your Rights in Your Reality from theTransformational Leadership Journey.

Instructions: Begin a group discussion on why knowing ourhuman rights in important. A few reasons are: that it may lead us
to take action for positive change, helps identify what shouldn’t
be happening and what should happen, and can identify thosepeople who have a responsibility to change the situation. Record
the group’s ideas on a flipchart paper so everyone can see.
(10 min)
Ask that everyone gets into groups of 2 or 3 people. Explain thateach group will then review a series of questions to uncoverhuman rights problems and help work towards solutions.
Ask each group to identify problems that young women face intheir community. That is Question 1 from the hand out: What is124

HUMAN RIGHTS

happening in my community that seems unfair or not right andthat affects young women? Each group should write a list of the
problems. Now the facilitator should visit each group, and using
the UDHR, help them identify the human rights issues on theirlist. Then ask each group to choose one problem/human rights
issue that will be the focus of their group’s activity. Then ask thegroups to identify which young women are most vulnerable to thisproblem. This question can help the group see that some people
are more vulnerable to human rights abuses than others. When all
the groups have decided on one problem and identified thosemost vulnerable, go around in a circle and have each groupshare their work. (30 min)The 2nd question asks Why this problem is happening and tries
to uncover the deeply rooted discrimination that young womenface. Encourage the groups to start asking Why? And thenquestion that answer by again asking Why? This can lead to achain of answers that uncovers gender and age discrimination.
Use the questions in the Know Your Rights in Your Reality handout to encourage deep thinking. When all the groups are done
then go around in a circle and have the groups share their work.
Record their ideas on the flipchart. (30 min)
The 3rd question asks Who is responsible for changing the situation.
This question helps the young women identify the people in thecommunity whose duty it is to remedy the problem or who canplay a role in making positive change in young women’s lives.
Give each group 10 minutes to identify these people. Havethe groups share who they see as responsible for resolving the
problem. Then have the groups identify an action that each
responsible person needs to take. Have them also include young
women knowing and claiming their human rights as an importantpart of solving the problem. (30 min)
The 4th question helps the group discuss what needs to be done
to remedy the problem and what young women and thosepeople in positions of responsibility need to do it. Ask each group
to identify some key actions that need to happen and the people
who are responsible for acting. (30 min)To end the session, have each group briefly present their work (2min each), identifying: What the problem is and who is it affecting
most; Why it is happening; Who has to do something about it;
What needs to be done; and what do they and others need inorder to act. (30 min)125

ACTIVITIES HUMAN RIGHTSACTIVITIESKey Messages: Knowing our rights helps us better understandthe complexities of a problem.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Each group shares their example of the principle in action andwhen it is ignored. Participants can ask questions of the group
after every presentation. Facilitators can ask:
• What happens when this principle is ignored? Or put into action?

This type of problem analysis can help shape an action plan.
Using the key human rights questions helps identify who is
responsible and focuses efforts on actions that can bringsustainable change.

PUTTING HUMAN RIGHTS
PRINCIPLES INTO ACTION
Purpose: Participants discuss the meaning of the three principles
of Non-Discrimination, Participation, and Accountability, and thenrelate them to their own lives.

• How does it make you feel?
• Why are these principles so important?(30 min)Now ask each of the groups to use the circle diagram to show
this example of the principles in action. Ask them to identify
who is claiming their rights; What rights are being claimed andhow are they participating in claiming their rights; Who needs to
respond; and who are the most vulnerable and most likely to bediscriminated against. Pass out large sheets of paper and pens sothat the groups can draw their own diagram with their example.
(30 min)
Have each group present their diagram to the larger group.
Discuss with the group how this sort of diagram can help themcreate an action plan to claim their rights. (20 min)

Key Messages: The human rights principles of NonDiscrimination, Participation and Accountability can be used as
tools to examine how to claim our human rights.

Time: 2.5 - 3 hours
Materials: flipchart paper and pens; copies of A Human RightsBased Approach to Young Women’s Transformational Leadership.
Instructions: Introduce the three principles of Non-Discrimination,
Participation, and Accountability. Use the diagram to show the
relationship between all three. Answer any questions. (20 min)Divide the participants into 3 groups and give each group one ofthe principles. Ask the groups to think of examples in their own livesof when they witnessed Discrimination and Non-Discrimination;
Participation and a lack of Participation, Accountability anda lack of Accountability. This can be a personal story or about
someone they know. Within the group each person should share a
story. After everyone has shared their ideas, have the group pickthe best example to share with the entire group. (45 min)

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ACTIVITIES CLOSINGACTIVITIESFEEDBACK QUESTIONS
Purpose: At the end of a session it’s useful to ask the participants
what they thought of the workshop. This feedback will help you
know what the young women learned and what they might beinterested in learning in future sessions.
Time: 15 min

CLOSING

RAISE YOUR HANDS
Purpose: This is a quick way for you to measure participants’opinions of the workshop.
Time: 5 minutes
Materials: your own paper and pen for recording.

Materials: flipchart paper and pens
Instructions: Ask everyone to think of one thing they learned

during the workshop. Go around the group and write their ideason the flipchart paper. Then ask what their favourite part of theworkshop was. Again, write these ideas on the flipchart.
On a separate piece of paper, record what the participants
would improve about the workshop. Ask if there are any questions
about the day’s discussions. If there is time, answer these questions
the best you can. If you are unsure of how to answer, let theparticipants know that you will find an answer and get back tothem during the next session.
Ask the participants to give you ideas for future sessions that would
be useful for young women. Write these down on the paper.
Thank everyone for participating.

Instructions: Explain that you will ask a series of questions andthat if the participants agree they should raise their hand. You
will record the raised hands to give you an idea of what was
successful during the workshop and what needs improvement.
You can ask everyone to close their eyes so that the voting isprivate if you think this is needed.
Ask a series of questions and count the raised hands (you canmake up your own questions too):• Did you learn something new today?
• Do you want to learn more about this topic?
• Was it useful to have a local expert join us today? (only relevant
if a local expert was present)• Did you feel supported and part of the group today?
• Did you feel listened to?
• Do you feel that this workshop helps you be a better leader?
• After answering the questions, share the feedback with them.
Thank everyone for participating.
Facilitator’s Self Reflection Form
Monitoring and Evaluation Activity

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ACTIVITIES MONITORING AND EVALUATIONFACILITATOR’S SELF REFLECTION FORM
Rise Up! Guide

ACTIVITIESMONITORING AND EVALUATION

Do you think there are parts of the workshop that could be done differently?
Which parts and how do you think they could be done?
__________________________________________________________________________

Fill this form straight after you finish running a workshop. Give this back to yourTeam Leader when you are finished.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Name:_______________________ Topic of Workshop:___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Location:____________________________________________________________________________________________________Name of the other Facilitator/s who ran the workshop with you

How confident were you in running the workshop? Pleae select one:________________________________________________________

Not so Confident

Confident

Very Confident________________________________________________________

What do you think would have helped to make you feel more confident?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What did you like about working with her?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How do you think you worked together? Is there something that you both
could have done better?

How were your public speaking skills? Please select one:______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How easy was it to use the Global Rise Up! Guide? Select one:
Not so easy

Easy

Very Easy

Not so Good

Good

Very Good

If it was not good, how do you think you might become better?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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ACTIVITIES MONITORING AND EVALUATION
How was your knowledge of the workshop topic? Please select one:
Not so good

Good

Very good

ACTIVITIESMONITORING AND EVALUATIONPARTICIPANT EVALUATION FORM
Rise Up! Guide

If it was not so good, how do you think your knowledge could be improved?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. How much did you know about ________________ (topic of the workshop)
before you did this workshop? Select your answer:
I didn’t know anything about the topic
I knew a little bit about the topic

I knew a lot about the topic__________________________________________________________________________
Did you come across any unexpected situations or hard questions during theworkshop and how did you deal with them?

2. How much do you know about _________________________________ (topic
of the workshop) now that you have finished the workshop?

__________________________________________________________________________

I didn’t know anything about the topic__________________________________________________________________________

I knew a little bit about the topic

I knew a lot about the topic______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Have you carried out a Global Rise Up! Guided workshop before? Select one:Yes

No

3. Did you like the way the Facilitators presented the workshop? Rate thenfrom 1 - 4.
The meanings of the numbers are:		

1= Not good
2= Good,
3= Very Good 4= Excellent

Name of Facilitator:____________________________________ 1 2 3 4If Yes, which workshop/s have you run before? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

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ACTIVITIES MONITORING AND EVALUATIONACTIVITIESMONITORING AND EVALUATION

4. Please write about what you liked or did not like about the way the
Facilitators presented:

8. What do you think about the language used in the workshop and thehandouts? Was it easy or too hard to understand and read? Tell us why.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. Any other comments?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What do you think of the length of the workshop (How much time it wentfor)? Please select one.
Too short

Just right

Too long______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. What part of the workshop did you like?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. What part of the workshop did you Not like?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Illustrated Stories
of Leadership from
the Movement
We have collected a number of stories from the young womenof the YWCA movement. These can be used to further explore
the Topic of Discussion and to spark conversations aroundissues that are important to young women. You can be creative
and use the images to tell your own story or have the group ofyoung women create their own narrative.

STORIES ILLUSTRATED BY:

Jean Philippe Kalonji is a painter, illustrator, and graphic artist.
He has worked closely with organizations such as UNESCO,
Stop Suicide and the London Olympic Games committee.

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Additional Resources

Glossary of Terms24

Training Manuals

Accountability - refers to the obligation of those in authority or decision making positions,to fulfill their duties, to take responsibility for their actions, and explain and justify theiractions to those affected. In a human rights context, accountability means being
responsible to uphold specific human rights (respect, protect and fulfill), especially forthe most marginalized populations. (OHCHR: http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/
WhoWillBeAccountable.pdf)

Empowering Young Women Leaders, World YWCA and UNFPA 2006
YWCA Safe Spaces for Women and Girls: A Global Model for Change, World YWCA 2013
Greater Expectations, YWCA of Australia
Girls’ Space, YWCA of Canada: http://ywcagirlspace.ca
It’s All One Curriculum (in English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Bangla, and Arabic), Population
Council 2009http://www.popcouncil.org/research/its-all-one-curriculum-guidelines-and-activities-for-a-unifiedapproach-to-

Sexual, Reproductive and Maternal Health Community Workshop Series,
CARE International in Papua New Guinea, 2016
JASS Building Women’s Collective Power for Justice(a Global Women-led Human Rights Network)“We Rise is a resource for anyone who wants to change the world”
https://justassociates.org/en/werise-movement-building-resource

Caring for Gender Equality Manual, World Vision and Promundo 2015
https://www.worldvision.org/wp-content/uploads/caring-for-equality-revised.pdf

Human Rights Information
Amnesty International Human Rights Education,
https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/ACT77/053/2005/en

Girl’s Guide to Knowing Her Rights, YWCA of Canada
http://ywcagirlspace.ca/data/documents/00000002.pdf

Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) – is a global document created at the Fourth World
Conference on Women in 1995, in which UN Member States and civil society identified what
was needed to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women. The BPfA is thecommitment of the international community to the advancement of women and to ensurethat a gender perspective is reflected in all policies and programs at the national, regional
and international levels.
CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women) – is also
known as the International Bill of Rights for Women and was adopted by the UN in 1979. It is
the second most ratified convention with 90% of countries having signed it. CEDAW defines
sex-based discrimination and gender equality, and identifies State obligations to eliminate
discrimination and achieve substantive equality. The Convention covers discriminatory laws,
practices and customs.
CSW (Commission on the Status of Women) – is a UN commission that was established in 1946,
and focuses on gender equality and the advancement of the status of women. The
commission, along with thousands of women’s organizations, meets annually to evaluate
progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set standards and formulate concrete
policies to promote gender equality and the advancement of women worldwide.
Economic Justice – is linked to social justice and includes moral principles that guide how an
economic system functions. The ultimate goal is to have an economic system that creates
equal opportunities for all people to have a dignified, productive and creative life while
promoting sustainable economic development and well-being for all.
Empowerment (of women and girls) - The empowerment of women and girls concerns their
gaining power and control over their own lives. It involves awareness-raising, building selfconfidence, expansion of choices, increased access to and control over resources andactions to transform the structures and institutions which reinforce and perpetuate gender
discrimination and inequality. (UNWomen glossary: https://trainingcentre.unwomen.org/mod/glossary/view.php?id=36&mode=&hook=ALL&sortkey=&sortorder=&fullsearch=0&page=1)

Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) to Programming, UNFPA and Harvard, 2010
http://www.unfpa.org/resources/human-rights-based-approach-programming

24 Sources include: UNWomen glossary. https://trainingcentre.unwomen.org/mod/glossary/view.php?id=36&
mode=&hook=ALL&sortkey=&sortorder=&fullsearch=0&page=1

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Gender - refers to the roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given society at a given
time considers appropriate for men and women. In addition to the social characteristics
and opportunities associated with being male and female and the relationships between
women and men and girls and boys, gender also refers to the relations between womenand those between men. (UNWomen)
Gender Equality - This refers to the equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities of women andmen and girls and boys. Equality does not mean that women and men will become thesame but that women’s and men’s rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend
on whether they are born male or female. (UNWomen)
Gender Identity - refers to a person’s deeply felt internal and individual experience of theirgender, which may or may not correspond to the person’s physical characteristics or theirdesignated sex at birth. (UNWomen)
Gender Stereotypes - are simplistic generalizations about the gender characteristics, differences
and roles of women and men.
Homophobia - is an irrational fear of, hatred or aversion towards lesbian, gay or bisexual
people; transphobia denotes an irrational fear, hatred or aversion towards transgenderpeople. (OHCHR FAQ on HRBA: http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/FAQen.pdf)
Human Rights - are universal legal guarantees that are inherent to being human, and protect
individual and groups from actions that interfere with fundamental freedoms and humandignity. The concept of human rights acknowledges that every human being is entitled toenjoy her or his human rights without distinction as to race, color, sex, sexual orientation,
language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or otherstatus.
HRBA (Human Rights-Based Approach) - is a framework and set of practical tools used tocreate development projects and programs that are based on international human rights
standards, and aim to promote and protect human rights. HRBA analyzes inequalities thatare the root of development problems and challenge discriminatory practices and unjust
distributions of power that impede development progress. (OHCHR FAQ on HRBA:
http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/FAQen.pdf)
Intersex - An intersex person is born with sexual anatomy, reproductive organs, and/or
chromosome patterns that do not fit the typical definition of male or female. This may beapparent at birth or become so later in life. An intersex person may identify as male orfemale or as neither. (UN Free and Equal Fact Sheet: https://www.unfe.org/system/unfe-7-UN_
Fact_Sheets_v6_-_FAQ.pdf)
Leadership, Intergenerational – means recognizing, including and creating leadership
opportunities for women of all ages. Women of all ages are seen as agents of change.
Intergenerational leadership also recognizes that every issue that affects women has
some age specific characteristics, and that the impact and their capacity to confront
and overcome issues will vary. An intergenerational approach to leadership also includes
succession planning for the long-term leadership of an organization and for long term socialtransformation.

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Leadership, Shared – builds on collaboration, working together, sharing resources and expertisefor a common goal. Shared leadership means an acceptance of and ability to give andreceive critical feedback and also to engage in crucial conversations. Effective sharedleadership is achieved through the experience of collective influence, which goes beyond
positional power (ie. hierarchies). Shared leadership also relies on clear guidelines, processes
and commitments to ensure the full and meaningful participation of all.
Leadership, Transformative – comes from an understanding that we have to address the root
causes and the underlying factors that create inequalities, disempowerment or women’slack of enjoyment of their human rights. It is a notion of leadership that is rooted in humanrights and long term results.
LGBTIQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Questioning) – is an acronym which
includes a diversity of gender identities and sexual orientations and used to describe people
who form same-sex relationships and who exhibit non-binary gender identities. (UN Free andEqual Fact Sheet: https://www.unfe.org/system/unfe-7-UN_Fact_Sheets_v6_-_FAQ.pdf)
Mentoring – is a form of inter-generational support and solidarity and occurs when one woman
encourages the professional or/and personal development of a younger woman, including
creating opportunities for further professional and personal growth.
Participation – is a human right, and a fundamental principle in the Universal Declarationof Human Rights and in a Human Rights-Based Approach. From a HRBA participationmust be free, active and meaningful, which ensures that all people, especially the mostmarginalized populations, can take part in decision-making, can take action and/orpressure government or other duty bearers to take action, and can monitor development
initiatives. Participation is a key part of leadership and active citizenship. (UN HRBA Portal:
http://hrbaportal.org/faq/what-does-the-principle-of-participation-mean-for-programming)
Peer education – is when a person who has equal standing with another in age, background,social status, and interests, teachers or trains others. Young people can often relate totheir peers in ways that adults cannot, and can play an important role in adolescentdevelopment.
Sexual Orientation - refers to a person’s physical, romantic and/or emotional attraction towards
other people. Everyone has a sexual orientation; Some people are attracted to people ofthe same sex, or the opposite sex, or they are attracted to both. (UN Free and Equal Fact
Sheet: https://www.unfe.org/system/unfe-7-UN_Fact_Sheets_v6_-_FAQ.pdf)
SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) – is a universal action plan with 17 goals which aims
to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy equality, peace andprosperity. This global agenda was signed at the UN by all member states in 2015, and aims
to tackle the challenges facing our world such as inequality, gender discrimination, climatechange and conflict by 2030.
Transgender – is a term that describes a wide range of gender identities (transsexual people,
cross-dressers, people who identify as third gender) and others whose appearance andcharacteristics are perceived as gender atypical. Trans-women identify as women but wereclassified as males when they were born. Trans-men identify as men but were classified
female when they were born. (UN Free and Equal Fact Sheet:https://www.unfe.org/system/unfe-7-UN_Fact_Sheets_v6_-_FAQ.pdf)

181Appendix

You can read the UDHR in 500 different languages:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/SearchByLang.aspx

What are Human Rights

Here are the CCPR and CESCR:

Human rights are about equality, respect, freedom, dignity and justice. They are internationallyagreed upon standards that reflect the basic needs of all people to live a life of dignity.
Human rights are the protections that we all deserve because we are human beings. They are
universal, which means they apply to everyone. It doesn’t matter where you live, how old youare, what language you speak, if you have HIV or are living with a disability; everyone has thesame rights. For example, everyone has the right to an education so every child must be able
to go to school. Everyone can choose if and who they marry so no one should be forced into
marriage. Everyone is free to participate in government and should have the education andopportunity to do so.

Human rights and fundamental freedoms allow us to develop fully and use
our human qualities, our intelligence, our talents and our conscience and tosatisfy our spiritual and other needs. They are based on humankind’s increasing
demand for a life in which the inherent dignity and worth of each human being
are accorded respect and protection. Their denial is not only an individual andpersonal tragedy but also creates conditions of social and political unrest, sowing
the seeds of violence and conflict within and between societies and nations.
http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/ABCChapter1en.pdf

Everyone has the right to know, defend and exercise their rights. To make sure everyone canunderstand and claim their rights, they are written down as formal international Human Rights
agreements. In 1948, the governments of the world came together at the United Nations andadopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The International Bill of Human
Rights, which includes the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and theInternational Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), make the fulfillmentof human rights not only the moral and correct thing to do, but a legal responsibility forgovernments to uphold. This means that if your rights have been violated you can complain,voice your opinion, and expect a response or solution to be provided from those responsible
to respect, protect and fulfill your rights. However, we know that even though everyone has
these rights, in reality, too many people’s rights are not protected, respected or fulfilled by theirgovernments and others.

http://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/ccpr.aspx
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CESCR.aspx

All human rights are inter-connected and equally important. The fulfillment of one human rightdepends on the fulfillment of other human rights. For example, if a girl is sick and there is nonurse or medicine available then her right to health is not being upheld. Because she is sick she
may not be able to go to school, or if she does go, she may be too weak to concentrate on
learning. When her right to health is not fulfilled then a girl’s right to education is at risk too.

Finding out more about Human Rights
Citizen movements and governments have continued to identify and define human rights sothat now we have many different Treaties, Conventions, Covenants and Agreements that help
us better understand and defend our rights. Here are some that are useful in examining therights of young women anywhere in the world.
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)(and General Recommendation 19 on Violence) is particularly important to young women’s
leadership as it defines and condemns gender discrimination in all its forms. In the hands ofyoung women CEDAW is a powerful tool and can be used to ensure primary and secondary
education for girls and further training for young women; to end child and forced marriage aswell as sexual exploitation and trafficking; to challenge domestic violence and enforce laws
in support of survivors of violence; to stop female genital mutilation; make sure young women
have access to health care services so they can make informed decisions about their sexualand reproductive lives; and to challenge deeply rooted gender discrimination in social andcultural beliefs and systems that keep young women from assuming leadership and decision
making positions in their communities. It is important to know that the Convention affirms the
reproductive rights of women and targets culture and tradition as influential forces shaping
gender roles and family relations.
Countries that have ratified the Convention are legally bound to put its provisions into practice.
They must also write national reports to show if and how they are fulfilling their obligations.
• Find CEDAW and related information:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CEDAW/Pages/CEDAWIndex.aspx• CEDAW General Recommendation 19 on Violence Against Women:
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/recommendations/recomm.htm• To see your country’s reports made to the CEDAW and other Human Rights Committees:
http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/TreatyBodyExternal/MasterCalendar.
aspx?Type=Session&Lang=En

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The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) explains the responsibilities of governments,
parents, and communities to protect children from harm and create supportive and healthy
environment for children’s development into adulthood. For example, every child has the rightto an identity and nationality and to go to school. Children are also protected from being
forced into work, from being abused, neglected, trafficked or sexually exploited. As children
grow and develop their capacities and responsibilities grow too.
For an explanation of the rights of all children:
http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf

Another example is the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which
supports equal opportunities in education, work, and community involvement for anyone
living with a disability while recognizing their legal capacity and the need for reasonableaccommodations (help and assistance) towards their active engagement in all aspects of life.
In addition to ensuring access to appropriate sexual and reproductive information and services
the CRPD obliges governments to make sure that these human rights concerns are not ignoredor left out of national plans and community services.
To find the CRPD and related information:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CRPD/Pages/CRPDIndex.aspx

Two very important global agreements are, like the SDGs, a promise that governments havemade to their citizens. The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD)
Programme of Action (1994) and the Beijing Platform for Action (1995) include the topics
of violence against women and girls, sexual and reproductive health, harmful traditional
practices, gender stereotypes, economic discrimination, and other important areas that deeply
affect the lives of women, young women and girls.
The ICPD in particular states that adolescents and young women must have access toappropriate sexual and reproductive information and services if they are to fulfill their potential
and lead active and meaningful lives. The Beijing Platform for Action clearly identifies the rightof women to control their sexuality, including their sexual and reproductive health. They must beable to do this free from discrimination, coercion (being forced to do something) and the threatof violence, as these are major obstacles facing women and girls’ decision-making abilities. The
Platform for Action underlines the importance of women being in political positions of power
and the obstacles many face to reach economic equality and wellbeing. Beijing also discusses
the issue of women in the media and how sexist portrayals of women perpetuate negative
stereotypes and how many programs create an acceptance of violence against women.
ICPD Programme of Action:
http://www.unfpa.org/publications/international-conference-population-and-development-programmeaction

Beijing Platform for Action. From UN Women in pictures: http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/infocus/csw/feature-stories

The YWCA of Canada has produced a great girl-friendly guide:
A Girl’s Guide to Knowing Her Rights: http://ywcagirlspace.ca

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© World YWCA 2017
Visual concept: Daniela Varano

World YWCA
16 L’Ancienne-Route1218 Grand-Saconnex
Geneva Switzerland
Telephone: +41 22 929 6040
Fax: +41 22 929 6044
Email: worldoffice@worldywca.org